Chip on a Shoulder
by A Wise Owl
Summary: Ever wondered what happened after Loki's defeat in Tony's flat? This story takes place after that and follows the brothers back to Asgard where Loki will be forced to face Odin's anger and punishment. Will Thor stand by him? There are some ideas from the Dark World but it does not follow it. I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1 - Return

**EDIT: This is my very first fanfiction. Looking back at the story, I quite like the plot and the ending, but I am aware that the writing could do with a lot of improvement. I would love to get back to it to edit it properly, but I don't know when I get the time to do it. So just bear that in mind ;)**

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Loki and Thor felt the familiar sensation and soon they found themselves standing in front of Heimdall. Despite having their paths diverged a long time ago, the brothers both wore grim expressions. Thor roughly grabbed his brother's arm again and started walking towards the rainbow bridge. He refused to spare any glance to his little brother who stiffed at his touch but was forced to follow anyway. Being chained and muzzled, Loki really didn't have much of a choice.

Usually, it would be Loki putting on an impregnable mask through which nobody was able to see. He was the God of Mischief in the end; lies and manipulation were in his nature. Now, however, it was Thor who decided that no one should be allowed to see how conflicted he actually felt. He couldn't believe it, not so long ago he had thought his brother to be dead. It pained him to think back to that time for he remembered the infinite hole that had been in his chest. Since Loki let go, he felt like a ghost. He would go around the palace and do his duties as was expected of him but his heart was never in any of them. He couldn't live without his little brother. Not fully.

When he discovered that his brother was alive it felt as if he was hit by a warm tidal wave. He went to Midgard, took Loki out of that plane and tried talking to him. He had to get the Tesseract back from him and so he decided not to show much sentiment. He knew that Loki wouldn't have appreciated it anyway. Loki's reaction shocked him though. Loki's eyes, which were once full of sparkle and mischief, now felt oddly distant and resigned.

Thor couldn't get through to him; it felt as if he was talking to a stranger, a mad stranger, not his brother. The only moment when Thor felt that he was talking to a person with actual emotions was when Loki told him that he doesn't have a home anymore. It made Thor angry for he couldn't comprehend how Loki could say such a thing. Now coming to think of it, it brought lump to Thor's throat. What if Loki actually believed in it? What if it wasn't just another lie or an attempt to provoke Thor? What if Loki truly felt that he didn't belong in Asgard anymore?

Thor couldn't stop having these thoughts running through his mind as they were walking on the rainbow bridge towards the palace. He felt Loki slightly shaking under his touch; he decided to pretend to ignore it but inside he was worried. Was his brother shaking because of the injuries which he must have suffered by the hand of Hulk? He didn't have any time to talk to his brother since his capture.

When he and the rest of the Avengers came to Tony's flat, they found Loki trying to put himself together after having been smashed across the room. They all pointed their weapons at Loki who tried to keep his face straight while having no other option than to surrender. He remembered Fury coming in shortly after them with a bunch of SHIELD agents who quickly placed chains on Loki's wrist. Loki didn't fight back; he seemed too shocked and in too much pain to resist anyone. When the chains were safely placed on Loki's wrists, Fury nodded to the agents who roughly shoved Loki to his feet. He visibly trembled but managed to stay up. Thor, however, noticed that he bit his lips to prevent a moan leaving his mouth. His brother was a proud man in the end. Fury turned around, signalling the agents to follow him when Thor found himself speaking.

"No."

Fury turned around. "What do you mean by this?"

Thor shifted on his feet. "You cannot be sure he won't try to escape. He knows a lot of magic as you may have noticed."

Fury looked annoyed. "Are you trying to suggest that I take all of you Avengers with me so he won't try to escape?"

"I am not going anywhere. My living room needs a bit of fix, it would seem." Tony tried to sound ironic but Thor could sense the tiredness in Iron Man's voice.

"That or," Thor found that it was really quite difficult for him to utter the words, "or you can muzzle him. He needs his voice to voice the spells. Without it, he will be left unable to cause any further damage."

Thor felt a gaze on him and he looked at Loki. There was a quick flash of betrayal which was quickly replaced by a mask. Even the mask was unable to hide the fear that crept into Loki's eyes by Thor's suggestion though. Thor knew that leaving his brother in his weakened physical state, chained and without any means to help himself with magic, meant to leave him truly powerless. Which was, in the end, the point.

Fury looked pensive for a second and then nodded to one of the agents who quickly said something into the radio transmitter. Within five minutes, another agent emerged through the door with a metal object in his hand. He handed it to Fury and left without any words. Fury looked at Thor who understood what was asked of him. He went to Fury, took the metal muzzle from Fury's hands and started walking towards Loki. Loki didn't move at all until Thor stood right in front of him. When Thor looked into his face and lifted his hands in an attempt to place the muzzle on his brother, Loki involuntarily tried to take a step back. He was quickly stopped by the agents who secured their tight grips on his arms.

 _Loki started to panic. He couldn't have Thor placing that muzzle on him. Not only wouldn't he be able to use his magic, but Loki was also sure he would be unable to breathe. At that moment Loki stopped caring about trying to keep his face in front of all those stupid superheroes and decided to fight back. He tried to shake the two agents' arms off him and walk back. He found the attempts to be futile though as his wrists were already bound together preventing him from blowing any punches._

 _Instead, he decided to shove his elbow into one of the agent's face. He did precisely that and with a loud crack of the agent's nose breaking, he felt the grip on one of his arms to loosen. He tried to take advantage of the situation and to slip away from the other agent as well. But he forgot about all the other agents standing behind him. Suddenly, he felt a strong pain in his stomach as one of the agents quickly took place of the injured one and hit his abdominal. He lost control of his body and landed on his knees. He felt the pain radiating through him as his body was sensitive due to his many injuries. He dizzily felt heavy arms on his shoulders holding him in place. He looked up and saw Thor staring at him with an odd expression. Was it pity? Loki didn't know and he wanted to shout at Thor but he felt so weak._

Thor witnessed all the scene in front of him with a heavy heart. He didn't enjoy seeing his brother to be further humiliated and hurt and hated the part he played in it. However, he understood that Loki couldn't be trusted and so he knew this to be necessary. He looked at Loki who lifted his eyes to meet Thor's.

"Brother, please." Loki said quietly with panic clearly hearable in his voice. But Thor had already heard these two words once. He was fooled then. He wouldn't be fooled now.

He took the metal gag and started securing it behind Loki's neck. He felt Loki tremble when the cold uninviting thing made contact with his skin. It didn't make him stop and he started to bring the object around Loki's cheeks.

"Thor don't do this. I can't…" Loki wasn't allowed to finish the words as Thor secured the muzzle tightly over his mouth. He saw pain in his brother eyes as the muzzle prevented his tongue from moving at all. Unable to look at his brother any further, Thor turned back and went to stand amongst the other Avengers, allowing Fury to take Loki away.


	2. Chapter 2 - Distrust

**Hello :) As you could have already seen in the first chapter, the story is mainly narrated through Thor's POV (Even though it is primarily about Loki). Loki's POV is written in italics.**

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Thor didn't talk to his brother at all since Loki's capture. He saw him again only when he was supposed to take him back to Asgard. However, the muzzle was still on and so any conversation was out of question.

Thor dared to look at his brother now; Loki looked more tired than ever. He had dark circles under his eyes, his whole face was stiff as a result of the muzzle and his movements were slow as clearly every step was causing him pain.

Thor knew that once they got to the palace, he wouldn't be able to talk to Loki as most likely he would be taken straight into the dungeons. Thor had so many questions for Loki but at the same time he feared that the answers would be just spiteful remarks.

He was suddenly pushed back from ruminating whether to talk to Loki or not when he felt his brother stop.

Thor looked at Loki who fell on his knees.

 _It hurts. Everywhere. Every single movement hurts him. He tried to focus on the rage he felt towards Thor. Or better, towards Odin. The warriors three. Anyone._

 _The rage was what kept him going. If he felt rage, then he had a reason to try to keep his posture and continue moving._

 _Like a rightful king he was._

 _But he was so exhausted. He hadn't slept properly since…probably since he discovered his true nature. Since then, Loki's life turned to hell._

 _First, he was given the throne of Asgard. He was so confused when they kneeled before him and put the spear into his hands._

 _"_ _Asgard is yours. Make your father proud."_

 _He remembered his mother, no not mother only Frigga, saying these few words so clearly._

 _He was crowned as a rightful king of Asgard. He didn't ask for it. He wasn't even sure if he really wanted it at that time._

 _They all turned their backs on him. Betrayed him._

 _He didn't really mean for the destroyer to kill Thor. He just couldn't have him return to Asgard now. He started to like the idea of finally not being just an ignored shadow._

 _He remembered so clearly the look in Odin's eyes._

 _"_ _No, Loki."_

 _At that moment, he understood. He could never make his father proud. Why? Because even if he thought he had a father, his father had only one son. And it wasn't him._

 _Loki let go. There was nothing left for him. Only lies. And he was sick of them._

 _Had he known where his fall would take him, he wouldn't have let go._

 _He would have rather stayed in Asgard while being punished for listening to his mother – no Frigga – and trying to make Odin proud._

 _He would have rather gone to Jotunheim where they decided that he was useless already when he was born._

 _Just not that._

 _The torture he suffered after his fall was devastating. There was nothing left in Loki. When they told him to take over Midgard, he thanked them._

 _In Midgard, the truth was proven once again. The truth that Jotunheim knew. The truth that Asgard knew. The truth that anyone knew by now._

 _The truth that he was incapable of ever succeeding in anything._

 _He was overpowered by a group of mere mortals. Who were helped by his brother._

Thor saw a single tear escaping Loki's eye and making its way slowly on his cheek until it was abruptly stopped by the muzzle.

This sight made the decision for Thor. He kneeled in front of his little brother. Loki looked so vulnerable now. Surely this couldn't be just another illusion.

Loki didn't look back at Thor. He kept staring at the ground, refusing to acknowledge Thor's presence.

Slowly, almost gently, Thor brought his hands behind Loki's neck and with a soft click he opened the muzzle. He carefully took the thing away from his brother's face.

He was shocked by what he saw.

Loki's lips were raw and bloody. Clearly, the muzzle didn't only prevent Loki from speaking but it was also cutting into his flesh.

Loki took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. Slowly, with control, he released the air from his lungs. Then he opened his eyes and Thor saw that they were full of tears.

"I am suffocating." Loki said with raw voice. It seemed that he was talking only to himself as panic was clearly rising inside him.

Thor didn't know what to do. His brother started to shake.

"No, Loki. I took it off. Loki, look at me. I took it off. You are alright."

Loki didn't look up at Thor. It seemed that he wasn't aware of Thor's presence at all.

Gently, Thor lifted Loki's chin and forced his brother to look up at him. Loki's eyes were full of emotions; the mask was gone. The most intense emotion was clear – it was fear. Loki's eyes were radiating with fear which caused his whole body to shake uncontrollably.

"Loki, listen to me. Are you listening to me?" Thor asked loudly.

"Thor please don't…" Loki started to say but found himself unable to continue. "I can't breathe."

"I am not going to put it back, ok? Loki?" Thor said intensely while still holding Loki's chin. He needed his brother to calm down.

Loki looked straight into Thor's eyes at the mention of his name and at that moment Thor understood. Loki was afraid of him.

The thought seemed ridiculous to Thor. How could Loki not see that Thor didn't enjoy this at all? But then he remembered that the only thing that caused Loki to display real fear was the muzzle. Which was his idea.

"Loki, I am not going to hurt you." Thor said trying not to sound intimidating. When Loki didn't reply, Thor tried again slowly losing patience.

"Brother, calm down." He said immediately regretting what he said. He knew how much Loki seemed to despise being called his brother.

Surprisingly enough, Loki seemed to ease at those words. His breathing got more regular and it seemed that he was regaining control of himself. Thor couldn't believe it. Loki kept saying how much he hated Thor and that he was never his brother. Why would then Thor's words calm him down?

"Can you walk?" He asked Loki who just nodded.

"Good. Then we go to the palace. If you try anything, I will put the muzzle back on." Thor said in a neutral voice. Deep inside, all he wanted to do was to hug Loki and say that he would never ever hurt him. On the other hand, he was unwilling to once again become the victim of Loki's tricks.

"Thor, don't…" Loki started to say but he was interrupted by Thor.

"I won't. I don't want to. It is up to you." Thor replied and stood up. He waited for Loki to get on his feet again, pretending not to see his pain and distress. Then they started slowly walking towards the palace.

"Thor?" Loki said quietly.

Thor didn't stop walking.

"Yes?"

"I hate you."


	3. Chapter 3 - Threat

**Hello again :) This chapter is finally written mainly from Loki's POV. Enjoy ;)**

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Thor didn't find Loki's remark worth replying and so without any reaction he continued towards the palace. Soon, Thor and Loki found themselves standing in front of the huge gate. They were welcomed by a little army of twelve guards. When seeing Thor, the guards put their fists on their chests right over their hearts.

"My prince," the main guard spoke, "We are here to take the prisoner to the dungeons."

Thor shifted uneasily. Remembering Loki's panic attack, he didn't want to leave his brother alone. At the same time, Loki probably didn't want Thor to be anywhere near him as Thor was the reason for Loki's current anxiety.

Thor nodded and stepped away from Loki. In an instant, the guards surrounded Loki from all sides. Clearly, they were not going to take any chances. None of them dared to touch Loki though and they were looking at each other nervously. Finally, one of them voiced their concerns.

"My prince, we were told that the prisoner will be muzzled so that he won't be able to use his magic skills."

Thor glanced from Loki, who kept his face absolutely blank, to the guard.

"He is no threat. You have my word that he is in no shape to try anything." Thor said trying to sound authoritative and reassuring at the same time. He saw Loki clench his teeth. The guards only nodded and with a simple command _move_ they started to make their way into the dungeons.

 _Loki was quickly becoming tired of deceiving himself. So despite the fact that he would never have admitted it loudly (obviously), he allowed himself to feel relieved to have his big brother by his side._

 _But now Thor was gone._

 _Loki hated the sentiment in Thor's eyes because he knew it to be false. He was shown more than clearly that his family has never really loved him. Nevertheless, tired, weakened and scared as he was, he needed the little comfort of the possibility that Thor may have not given up on him. That somehow Thor still cared whether Loki lived or not._

 _The guards continued with a steady pace descending further under the palace. Loki felt unstable; his spine was hurting and with his wrists bound together in front of him he didn't feel particularly able to walk straight. He tried not let any of this show. He was well aware that all the guards may have been afraid of him but Loki knew that they have been taught one thing since they entered the Asgardian military._

 _Justice is stronger than fear._

 _How original, Loki though. But he knew that they all considered him to be a traitor. The one who dared to betray the All-Father. The one who brought shame to the name of Asgard._

 _He knew how much they despised him._

 _Loki really wanted to say something sarcastic to them. He longed to provoke them. But this time, his rational thinking won. Thor was right in the end. Loki was in no position to try anything. He knew that if he did, it would most likely result in another beating and frankly, Loki was tired of physical pain. And so he tried to pretend as if all this was beneath him and he tried his best not to stumble over any of the stairs._

 _He was determined not to show any weakness._

 _Anytime he did it in his life, people have always used it against him._

 _His willpower was not enough to keep him on his feet and with horror Loki felt his legs weaken._

 _No. Not now._

 _With surprised gazes from the guards, Loki fell on his knees._

 _Again._

 _He tried to take a deep breath in to be able to continue walking when he felt a sharp pain in his side. He cried from pain and surprise. He suspected some of his ribs to be broken since Midgard and this kick definitely didn't help them._

 _"_ _What are you playing at?! Get up!" Loki heard the guard who kicked him say._

 _Loki closed his eyes. He knew this was going to be difficult. He was so weak. He was always weak, as Odin would always remind him, but never he felt so physically vulnerable as now. On top of all of this, everyone seemed to assume that he was actually still some massive treat as he could easily use his magic to escape._

 _Well, surprise. He couldn't._

 _He needed physical and mental strength for his magic and now he lacked both of those. And even if he did manage to create an illusion of himself, his real body would be still trapped in those bloody manacles. Really, the idea that they all find him dangerous made Loki feel even more insecure because he knew that if they felt threatened, they wouldn't think twice about using any means to subdue him._

 _As right now._

 _"_ _I just tripped over you maggot." Loki said through clenched teeth._

 _He saw the guard's face filling with rage and he started to mentally prepare for another hit. Instead, the guard nodded to the others who roughly took Loki by his arms and put him on his feet. The main guard walked slowly in front of Loki and stared straight into his eyes. He wasn't as tall as Loki was but despite that Loki felt a shiver running through his spine._

 _"_ _Move." He said while turning his back on Loki and preparing to walk in front of him. Loki was eager to comply not to give him another reason to use him as a punching bag. As he tried to take the first step, he vaguely noticed the guard turning back with astonishing speed and smashing his fist right into Loki's right cheek._

 _The strength of the hit would have sent Loki on his back. The guards held him tightly though and so he kept upright with his eyes being unable to see anything. Slowly, the vision was coming back and he saw the guard standing just an inch away from his face. He felt a cold liquid running on his cheek._

 _"_ _Listen to me well, monster. Our orders are clear as ice. Deliver the prisoner to the dungeons. Beware – he may be dangerous. Use any means to not let him escape." The guard paused. Loki wondered how many times it was possible to remind him of his Frost Giant blood in such a short discourse._

 _"_ _These orders are coming straight from the king himself. So if you think that your daddy will be angry if we…play with you a little, then you are wrong. He doesn't care. So think about this the next time you want to call me a maggot." Loki swallowed hard which seemed to satisfy the guard. This time, he actually turned back and they all started to walk again._

 _Loki wanted to retort that he knew that his so-called father didn't care but he knew that it would come out only as a pathetic self-pity. He really didn't want the guard's words to affect him in any way. In the end, he wasn't surprised that Odin gave the guards permission to torture him. It also didn't surprise him that Odin didn't care about him at all. But somehow the words still cut deep into Loki's mind, more than his daggers ever could._

 _Loki wasn't sad to hear that Odin hated him. He just couldn't bear the idea that his real father hated him so much that he would leave him on a frozen rock to die. That his adopted father would allow him to be tortured. That his brother would give him into the hands of the guards prepared to do who knows what if he was unable to continue walking._

 _Loki gave up on the figure of Odin long ago but it still pained him that he didn't have a father to love him. And no matter how many times Odin hurt him, Loki would never be completely invincible to those ceaselessly coming blows and each of them opened an old wound which would never fully heal._

 _Fortunately, the staircase ended and Loki found himself standing in front of the very first glass box._

 _One of the glass walls disintegrated and the procession went straight inside the box. There the guards removed the chains from Loki's wrists and quickly left. The wall materialised behind them yet again and all the three glass walls were radiating a subtle gold light showing that no magic could be used on them._

 _Loki looked around him. The cell was completely empty. When he was sure that all the guards have left the dungeons, he walked towards the only solid wall. Slowly, he sat down wincing in pain and let his back rest against the wall._

 _He didn't want to focus on the blood running down his right cheek. Or his lips which were still raw from the muzzle. Nor his broken ribs and bruised spine._

 _He wanted to disappear._

 _He felt tears coming to his eyes and so he closed them._

 _A king doesn't cry._


	4. Chapter 4 - Indifference

**Hello :) This is the longest chapter yet. It starts with Thor but soon shifts its attention to Loki. Enjoy!**

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Thor went straight into Odin's chambers. He knew his father would want to see him as soon as possible.

"Father." Thor greeted Odin politely.

"Thor, my son. You have made me proud." Odin said sincerely. He didn't make any move to embrace his son. Thor wouldn't expect him to do so. His father was the king of Asgard and he always behaved with such dignity, even in private.

"Thank you."

"What do the mortals with whom you fought think about Asgard?" Odin asked Thor.

"What do you mean?" Thor was confused.

"If they hear _Asgard_ , do they imagine you or Loki?"

"Um…me I guess. Loki introduced himself as being from Asgard from what I have heard but I made the situation clear. They know that Asgard had no idea about Loki's invasion and that when we heard I came to help to stop him."

"Good." Odin said shortly and walked towards the window which offered a breath-taking view of Asgard.

"These are uncertain times, Thor. Not so long ago we were on the brink of war with Jotunheim. We cannot allow ourselves to be taken into another conflict."

"Yes, father." Thor answered. He wasn't sure where Odin was going. He always liked to lecture Thor about the politics of ruling, which Thor needed as his successor, but usually Odin's words wore a double meaning.

"You brought Loki back to Asgard." Odin turned and faced Thor. Thor was uncertain about what to say.

"Yes. I was sure Heimdall would have told you that we were coming in advance."

"He did. I took the necessary precautions." Thor didn't know what these were but he kept his mouth shut and waited for Odin to arrive to the point.

"Didn't the mortals mind?" Odin asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Think, Thor. Loki invaded their planet and tried to enslave them. Didn't they want to punish him for his actions?" Thor tensed. He never thought of this.

"I don't know father. I made it clear that I will bring Loki to face Asgardian justice. I think they were satisfied with that."

"As a king, you will have to think about these things, Thor. The difference between war and peace may depend on such details."

Thor was getting impatient. He felt exhausted after the fighting on Midgard and so far the only reward he got from his father was a lecture about strategy.

"It is not as if I had a choice, father. I couldn't leave Loki on Midgard anyway. They would have executed him." Thor said defensively.

Odin looked Thor sternly in the eyes.

"That would be none of our business. They had all rights to do so."

"What?" Thor found himself saying. "Surely you don't mean that." One look into Odin's eyes told Thor that he did.

"He's your son." Thor said more loudly.

"He seems determined that I am not."

"Loki keeps saying that because he feels abandoned, father. I am sure he doesn't actually believe in it." Thor needed to defend Loki.

"Maybe it would be better if he did. A true son of mine would have never done what he did. I gave him life, Thor. He was supposed to die on that frozen rock as a baby. I made him a prince and what did he do to repay me? He brought shame on Asgard." Odin said dryly. Thor had a lump in his throat. What scared him was that his father seemed to be completely unemotional about the whole situation.

"Surely you wouldn't want him to repay you for raising him." Thor said finally.

"No. But he has always been a…disappointment. I thought that his Frost Giant heritage would make him a strong warrior but he was always too…soft. Never quite like you, Thor. The only thing that reminds of his Jotun blood seem to be his cruelty and deceitfulness."

Thor couldn't believe his ears. Suddenly, he started to understand Loki's resentment towards his family. He remembered telling Loki that his slights were imagined. He wasn't quite as sure about that anymore. Thor never even thought about the idea that their father would treat them differently. He always automatically assumed that Odin loved both of them equally as all fathers surely do.

"Father, do you love Loki?" Thor asked uncertainly. A flash of guilt seemed to run across Odin's eyes.

"I tried to love him, Thor. I really did. But he was always so distant and he was never able to fulfil what I expected from him. Of course, I felt affection towards him, Thor, but he killed of all it by his recent actions. I will judge his as the king of Asgard. Nothing more."

"There is one thing that Loki was always better at than me, father. Do you know what it is?" Thor asked Odin not waiting for him to answer.

"Perceiving people. The fact that they call him the God of Lies and Mischief doesn't only imply that he causes these but also that he can clearly see through other people's words or intentions."

"Are you trying to imply that my lack of appreciation for him led him to attack Midgard?" Odin did not raise his voice but there was a clear threat.

"I am not trying to imply anything. I am just saying that Loki must have really felt abandoned. I dismissed the idea when he implied it but now…" Thor didn't finish the sentence. Suddenly it hit him.

"Father, Loki hasn't been lying or trying to deceive me. He really believes in what he says. He doesn't think that his family loves him at all. He doesn't think that I love him as a brother. He thinks that I only mock him with the term." Thor said incredulously. When Odin didn't react, Thor shouted.

"Father, you are the one who destroyed him! You destroyed our brotherhood!" Thor couldn't hold himself back. He felt himself breathing heavy. He saw that Odin was raging as well but before he got a chance to reply, Thor heard a soft yet firm voice from behind him.

"Enough."

Thor immediately turned around and saw his mother. Frigga had tears in her eyes but it didn't make her look less strong or determined.  
"Thor, darling. I am so happy you have returned safely." Frigga said gently and went to hug Thor who gratefully returned the embrace. His breath was still uneven as he needed to process the argument that just occurred between him and Odin. Too soon, Frigga let go of her son.

"Thor, I really want to talk to you but unfortunately, there is an issue which I need to immediately discuss with your father in private. Could you please excuse us?" Frigga's voice didn't betray any emotion but Thor could see it in her eyes. Frigga had heard some of his conversation with Odin. This was about Loki. Thor only nodded and left the chambers.

Instinctively, he knew where to go.

 _Loki didn't know for how long he was sitting there, his back against the wall, his eyes closed and his breathing unnaturally slow. Finally, when he felt that his breathing has calmed him down, he allowed himself to open his eyes. To his relief, he managed to supress the tears from spilling out and his eyes have dried by now._

 _He wanted to feel rage but all he felt was hopelessness. Being closed in such a small place felt extremely uncomfortable for he knew that no matter what, he wouldn't be able to leave the place. On top of that, the fact that three of the walls were made from glass meant that anyone was able to see Loki._

 _Any passing guard could shift gaze into his direction and smirk on the fate of the fallen prince._

 _Loki felt like a dangerous animal that was caught and displayed as a trophy._

 _He hated the idea that he couldn't move freely but he wished to be at least left alone so that he could crawl into a corner. Any of this was impossible here; Loki wouldn't be able to survive the humiliation of anyone seeing him defeated and scared._

 _He tried to put himself into more comfortable position which only reminded him of the pain. He needed to look at himself to be able to see the extent of his injuries but of course his cell contained no mirror. Bloody hell, his cell contained absolutely nothing. It was driving him crazy; there was nothing he could touch, nothing he could throw and nothing to sit on. He was forced to sit on the ground. Like a beast. It was humiliating._

 _Slowly, he lifted his hand and gently pressed his knuckles against his right cheek. A soft moan escaped his lips. He looked at his hand and saw that it was bloody._

 _What was bothering his more were his lips. He ran his tongue across them and he felt a sharp pain. When he pressed his fingertips against them, he felt the raw texture. The muzzle was unforgiving and metal. He didn't know for how long he had it on but it definitely was for too long._

 _Not that anyone would care._

 _His brother most likely really enjoyed the picture of his brother's biggest weapon being contained._

 _It was Thor's idea in the end._

 _But then he remembered Thor saying that he didn't want to put it back on._

 _Liar. Just like his father._

 _Loki closed his eyes again. He must stop thinking. All of his ruminating was exhausting him and was causing him more anguish than his physical stat. It hurt so much to think about Thor. He had some basic ideas about Odin and Frigga. It was still painful but he accepted that he would never be loved by Odin. He tried to hate Frigga but he knew that he was only deceiving himself by refusing to call her his mother in his mind. Loki even admitted to himself that if he was allowed to see her, he would probably try to hug her. He was desperate to feel her warmth and hear her soft calming voice. He hoped with all his heart that Frigga – no let's call her mother – didn't hate him as the rest of them did. She was always his protector; he wouldn't survive losing her._

 _About Thor, however, Loki was truly confused. He remembered those years when they were small and Thor would protect his little brother from any harm._

 _"_ _It is my job to protect you, Loki." Thor would tell him while gently rubbing the back of his neck in gesture that was so typically theirs. Loki would only smile back at him._

 _Where was his brother when he was falling through the void? Where was he when Thanos tortured him and then used his as his puppet?_

 _Thor wasn't there. He only came to scold Loki and help his enemies to bring him down._

 _What hurt Loki the most was that Thor actually thought that enslaving a race and killing no matter how many mortals in the process was something that Loki would likely do._

 _Loki couldn't swallow the idea that Thor thought so low of him._

 _Was it because of the incident with the Frost Giants? But that was a different thing entirely, Loki would tell himself. He was only putting into effect his brother's own words._ I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all. _Because that was what they were. The Frost Giants are not an innocent race as humans are. The Frost Giants are monsters._

 _And he is one of them._

 _Loki felt tears coming into his eyes again and he blinked angrily. He must stop torturing himself with all these thoughts._

 _Out of nowhere, he heard numerous footsteps approaching his cell. Mechanically, he straightened his back and put an impregnable mask on his face._

 _He was a prince if not a king after all._

 _Soon, he saw five guards coming in his direction. He shivered and stood up. Standing, he would have a better chance of defending himself if the need be. He stayed close to the solid wall as if it could give him any sort of protection._

 _"_ _Put your hands up." One of the guards said. Loki looked at him confused._

 _"_ _I said put your hands up. Don't move." The guard said again. Loki still didn't understand but did as he was told. He lifted his arms up, bent in elbows with his palms open._

 _Satisfied with what they saw, the guards let the wall behind them disintegrate and stepped inside the cell. The wall materialised behind them._

 _Loki felt fear rising inside him but he was determined not to let it show. He knew he was outnumbered and he didn't like it._

 _The guards circled around him from all three sides._

 _"_ _Kneel." They said finally._

 _Loki thought he must have heard incorrectly. Did they expect him to kneel in front of them? Him? Their prince?_

 _"_ _You must be joking." He said only._

 _The guards exchanged looks of disgust and annoyance. Without further delay, the one standing in front of Loki smashed his fist into Loki's stomach. Loki felt all his wounds opening and cursing him for not being compliant. He felt his shattered ribs cracking unnaturally. He wasn't able to catch a breath. He felt as if he was wearing that filthy muzzle yet again._

 _He felt two strong hands pulling on his shoulders and being unable to resist their will he felt himself fall on his knees while breathing heavily._

 _Without warning, the guards roughly grabbed his wrists and pulled them up over his head. Then he felt a cold metal against his skin and he heard a sharp click. Then the guards let go of him and he felt his arms falling beside his crouched form. He shifted his gaze at his wrists and noticed that there was a thin metal bracelet on each of them. He didn't understand and so with all the courage and strength he could master, he looked up at the guards._

 _They were smirking at him._

 _"_ _What is this?" Loki asked hating himself for lowering enough to talk to those people and being so out of control of what was happening to him._

 _"_ _You don't know?" One of the guards raised his brow. "Don't you feel it?"_

 _Loki was even more puzzled but then he felt a numbing wave running across his body. He breathed out loudly in surprise. What was happening to him?_

 _"_ _These bracelets were created by the king himself. They bound your magic. No matter how hard you try, with these on you will be unable to use your magic on anyone or anything." The guard said only._

 _Loki panicked. No. Not even Odin would take his magic away from him._

 _"_ _Why?" He found himself saying. "These walls are charmed so that no magic can penetrate them. Why bother with this?"_

 _"_ _Precautions." The guard said only. He nodded to the rest and all of them left. This time they didn't even mind turning their backs on unchained Loki. They knew that prince's physical condition was quite critical and with his magic bound, they weren't afraid of him anymore._

 _Loki couldn't stop staring at those bracelets around his wrists. Magic was invaluable to him. It gave him the power he lacked in physical state. It was the perfect tool to cause mischief with. It connected him to his mother._

 _Loki backed again to the solid wall and leaned on it._

 _Why was his family doing this to him?_

 _His brother muzzled him. His father supressed his magic. They all threw him into this cell._

 _The worst thing was that Loki did understand why they were doing all these things. They think him to be the monster who tried to usurp the Asgardian throne and when he failed at that, he attacked Midgard._

 _They thought him to be the monster that he was._

 _Loki wanted to tell them that he didn't want to do it. That Thanos forced him. He wanted to tell them that he meant it._ I could have done it. For you. For all of us. _He wanted to tell them that he will try harder to supress the monster inside him and try to be worthy of being Asgardian._

 _But he would never do it. Loki would never lower himself to show affection to those who would show none to him. To those who kept him only as a war trophy. He would have been a good king, he was sure of it. A king needs to be intelligent, educated and a little cunning. He didn't lack any of those qualities while his brother lacked all of them._

 _He brought knees to his chest only to feel an incredible pain in his broken ribs. He bit his raw lips and he knew that he was unable to stop it anymore. The physical pain combined with his mental suffering was just too much._

 _He knew he was doing it too much lately. When he was talking to Thor on Bifrost. When Thor tried to reason with him in the Stark Tower. Yet he couldn't stop himself from doing it again._

 _Loki brought his face to his knees and started to cry._

 _He didn't hear the heavy footsteps echoing around the dungeons._

Thor looked into the cell he knew to be his brother's and he felt a lump forming in his throat. He couldn't believe what he saw.

His proud remorseless brother was leaning on the wall and crying all alone.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading :) Would you like me to include Frigga's conversation with Odin in the next chapter?**


	5. Chapter 5 - Sensitivity

Loki had always been cunning, and Thor learnt a long time ago that usually the trickster would say one thing but mean the complete opposite. It had never been a hindrance in their relationship though; Thor knew that Loki would usually keep his uninterested face on, but he was always able to sense his brother's true attitude through the look in his eyes.

As everything, this changed after Thor's disrupted coronation.

Thor remembered Loki visiting him on Midgard. Loki lied straight to Thor's face with the intention to cause harm and Thor was unable to see through the deception.

It left Thor wondering if he had ever actually known his brother.

After everything that happened lately, Thor was conflicted. He felt as if there was no hope for his brother anymore while trying to defend Loki in front of their father at the same time. He wished so much to reconcile with his Loki; he wanted his playful little brother back.

Thor had known Loki for centuries. He was there when Loki was at his best and when he was at his worst.

However, Thor had never seen his brother cry so much that he was choking with sobs while his whole body was shaking.

Loki was leaning against the wall. His head was resting on his knees which were brought towards his chest in an attempt to make himself appear as small as possible.

It was such a defensive posture.

Thor overcame the wave of uneasiness and continued walking towards the cell. He was surprised that Loki didn't notice him at all. Loki would never allow anyone to sneak on him.

For a second, Thor contemplated whether to enter Loki's cell or not. As his brother continued shaking and sobbing, Thor decided to take the risk and go inside.

After the conversation with his father, Thor didn't want Loki to feel all alone no matter what.

The wall disintegrated and Thor stepped inside.

It was only when Thor started to make his way towards Loki that Loki raised his head.

Thor gasped and stopped.

Loki's eyes were pouring with tears and they were bloodshot. More shocking than their physical appearance was what Thor saw inside them.

It was utter hopelessness.

At first, Loki didn't seem to understand the situation but when his eyes focused on Thor he caught his breath. The tears were still streaming from his eyes but he was clearly trying to supress the sobs.

Thor felt a sudden urge to hug Loki; to bring him to his huge embrace and tell him that he is not alone. That he never was and never will be. No more thinking about what he was doing, Thor moved towards Loki.

When Loki saw that Thor was approaching him, something seemed to snap inside him. He ceased hugging his knees and brought his palms on the ground in an attempt to push himself into a standing position. He was too exhausted though and so his arms betrayed him and he slammed back on the ground.

It was then that Thor noticed the metal bracelets circling around each of his brother's skinny wrists. Thor didn't know what they were for; he was sure he never saw any prisoner wearing any of these.

Also, Thor noticed that Loki's right cheek was bruised and bloody.

Obviously, someone punched Loki.

Thor felt rage rising inside him. Did the guards dare to raise their hands against his brother? Thor concentrated his gaze back on Loki. He saw the trickster staring at him in disbelief. Suddenly, Loki must have sensed the rage accumulating in Thor as the disbelief turned into fear.

Thor saw Loki's eyes to darken with dread. Involuntarily, Loki bit his broken lip and brought his arms around his legs.

Thor was utterly confused. Once again, Loki was clearly afraid of him. If Thor could somehow understand Loki's anxiety when he removed his muzzle on the rainbow bridge, he really didn't understand it now. He came only to talk to Loki; he had to after that disastrous conversation with his father.

Why would Loki feel threatened by him? He couldn't possibly believe that Thor came here to seek some sort of revenge and that he would use his vulnerability to beat Loki into unconsciousness.

 _"_ _Father, Loki hasn't been lying or trying to deceive me. He really believes in what he says. He doesn't think that his family loves him at all. He doesn't think that I love him as a brother. He thinks that I only mock him with the term."_

Thor remembered his own words which he said not even half an hour ago to his father. Somehow, he knew them to be true. And so he understood; if Loki thought that his family didn't love him at all then he could also believe that Thor came to beat him up.

Thor stopped unsure how to proceed. After a while, he continued towards the wall trying to ignore that Loki was shaking more as Thor was getting closer to him.

Thor didn't try to get into Loki's immediate closeness. Instead, he sat down around two feet away from Loki leaning his back against the wall as well.

Thor vaguely remembered that if you wanted to intimidate someone, you should face your opponent. If you tried to evoke trust and sense of safety, you should sit by the person's side.

Surprisingly, Loki didn't ask Thor what he was doing. He was still shaking but he seemed to ease when Thor sat down and made no attempt of touching him.

"What are those metal bracelets around your wrists?" Thor said trying to keep his voice unintimidating but otherwise neutral. Loki tugged at Thor's words but made no other sign that he heard Thor.

"Brother?" Thor asked more softly.

"This is really pathetic, Thor." Loki said suddenly. His voice was weak but filled with venom.

"Are you trying to mock me? Is this some new hobby of yours – trying to find ways to subdue me more effectively?" Loki added bitterly.

Thor didn't understand but he felt somehow relieved that Loki's fear seemed to be turning into rage. Not that he would want his brother to be hateful towards him yet again but it was better than seeing his own brother being terrified of him.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Loki." Thor decided to use his brother's name to sound more intimate. He wanted Loki to see that he viewed him as a human being, as his brother, not as a prisoner.

"Come on, it must be so much fun, Thor. What does Loki need the most? His voice? Oh well great, let's take that away from him. His magic? Oh, even better, let's take that away from him too!" Loki's voice was growing stronger with each sentence, his voice shaking.

Finally, Thor understood.

"They take away your magic, don't they?" Thor said softly. Loki's eyes briefly showed confusion combined with hurt.

"You know Thor, I have always known you to be brainless but trying to make yourself seem cleverer by pretending to figure out what a device that you helped to create does, that is really pitiful."

"I've never seen them in my life, Loki." Thor said patiently. He needed to make Loki believe him.

"Right." Loki remarked sarcastically as if conversing with Thor was underneath him.

"You are the clever one, brother. So think. When would I have time to invent these when we arrived together to Asgard only today?" Thor decided to use a rational approach.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe when I was held by the SHIELD?"

"You know as well as I do that these bracelets were made on Asgard." Thor kept his voice neutral; he knew that it would be very much unlike his brother to argue against pure logic.

Indeed, Loki didn't reply. Thor took it as his victory. He knew he would be stepping into a dangerous territory but he felt that it was necessary to say the next words if he hoped for any chance to have Loki open up to him.

"I am sorry about the muzzle, Loki." Thor said sincerely. Loki twitched but made no attempt to reply. Thor hoped that Loki was able to perceive the honesty in his voice.

"I truly am. But you know as well as I do that I did it to protect my friends whom you would try to hurt further had you been given the chance." Thor spoke slowly and rationally. He didn't try to sound accusative; he was merely stating the facts.

"I didn't want it to cause you pain. I am sorry." Thor felt the need to apologize to Loki despite knowing that Loki should be apologizing to him as well. It didn't matter to him though; Thor was the victor, Loki the defeated. Thor knew that it is much more difficult for the one who lost to admit their faults.

"So the bracelets do take away your magic, right?" Thor tried once again. This time Loki barely noticeably nodded. Thor was attentive and so he didn't miss the small gesture.

"But these walls are spelled against the use of magic, are they not?" Thor was now genuinely confused. He was pretty sure that the dungeons were full of spells to stop prisoners from using magic. Why bother putting the bracelets on Loki's thin wrists?

Loki seemed to be reading his thoughts.

"Apparently, the All-father didn't think it to be enough." Loki said trying to be sarcastic but failing miserably as hurt was clearly recognisable in his voice.

"How do you know it was father's idea?" Thor challenged.

"The guards told me so." Loki answered simply.

 _"_ _You brought Loki back to Asgard." Odin turned and faced Thor. Thor was uncertain about what to say._

 _"_ _Yes. I was sure Heimdall would have told you that we were coming in advance."_

 _"_ _He did. I took the necessary precautions."_

Remembering the conversation with his father, Thor knew that Loki wasn't lying.

"I see." Thor said only. So these were the precautions.

Seeing that he actually succeeded at having a more or less civilised conversation with Loki, Thor decided to move on to things that were bothering him more. He knew that they would be uncomfortable topics for his brother, but he desperately needed him to cooperate.

"Loki, you are hurt." He said simply. Loki didn't reply and so Thor went on.

"When we arrived, you didn't have the welt on your cheek. How did it happen?"

"It is not important." Loki said almost inaudibly. Thor knew that he felt ashamed.

"Brother, no matter what happens between us, my vow to you stands. I won't let anybody hurt you." Thor knew that his words must seem hypocritical to Loki but his brother managed to surprise him yet again. Firstly, a sarcastic expression flew over his eyes, then it quickly turned into hurt expression which was followed by barely noticeable relief. Thor continued.

"Brother, I don't know what led you to attack Midgard but I am truly sorry. Trust me when I say that I didn't enjoy a single second of fighting against you." As soon as Thor said these words, Loki sharply turned his head to face Thor. Thor locked his eyes with Loki's which were so full of emotions that Thor found himself unable to make any sense of them.

For a while, the brothers sat next to each other trying to decipher the other one's mind with staring. Thor didn't understand why his words had such an effect on Loki. Finally, Loki went back to staring at his knees.

"Do you mean it?" He asked almost shyly.

"Of course. I thought we were going to fight side by side forever; I could never enjoy fighting you."

"Not that." Loki said quickly. Thor was confused.

"I really am sorry, Loki. I never wanted _this_ to happen." Thor didn't know what exactly he meant by _this_ but Loki was confusing him.

"Not that either."

"I don't understand, Loki." Thor said only.

"The first sentence." Loki said softly. "The wording of it."

"What do you mean?" Thor felt frustrated; Loki was clearly trying to tell him something that mattered to him and Thor was unable to understand. Surprisingly, Loki didn't seem angered by Thor's lack of understanding.

"Say the sentence again." Loki said only. Thor hesitated for a second; there was something about the wording of the sentence that caught Loki's attention. Thor was determined to word it in exactly the same way.

"Brother, I don't know what led you to attack Midgard…" Thor started and then he stopped.

"Loki did someone force you to attack Midgard?" Thor asked more loudly than he intended. His heart was breathing rapidly now and he was losing control of himself.

"Loki, what happened to you in the void?" Thor felt almost sick now. Did someone torture his brother, his little brother, the one he swore to protect, and made him attack an innocent planet?

"Loki, please, tell me." He knew he sounded desperate know but he was unable to control his voice anymore.

Loki turned his eyes to Thor once again. Thor saw that he was really struggling with decision whether to confide to Thor or not. Thor felt his eyes to soften when they met his brother's and finally, Loki spoke.

"It doesn't matter, Thor. But…" Loki stopped and rested his head against the wall. He looked up and then closed his eyes as if it was easier to talk to Thor if he didn't have to look at him.

"But it does matter to me if you are willing to consider that something might have led me to attack Midgard. That it may not have been my idea to…enslave that race." Loki's voice was no more than whisper now but Thor understood.

Oh dear, Thor understood and he felt his eyes getting uncomfortably hot and soon a single tear was making its way down his cheek. So this is what it is about. Loki was afraid that Thor sees him as a monster.

"Brother." Thor spoke to Loki unable to hide the emotions in his voice. Loki kept his eyes shut. "Brother, of course. That's what I was so confused about. I do know you. Those actions on Midgard….it didn't make any sense to me. Yes, we parted with a bone of contention, but I couldn't recognise you at all on Midgard. I know you're not a…" Thor found himself being interrupted.

"What am I not, Thor? A monster?" Loki whispered with pain in his voice.

"Of course you are not, brother."

"Oh but I am Thor. Don't you remember? I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all." Loki imitated Thor's voice perfectly.

"I was a child and I meant those who would dare to threaten my family. Who would try to lay a hand on you or mother." Thor said pretending to be calm.

"I am a Frost Giant." Loki said with resignation in his voice.

"And so what? It doesn't change anything." Thor's reply was quick; it was so obvious to him.

"What?" That was Loki's only reaction, but this one word managed to shatter Thor's heart into pieces. He has never heard a word to be said with so much pain, insecurity and confusion. Thor was sure he would never forget it.

"Of course, it doesn't, Loki. You are my brother and you always will be." Thor said with a complete sincerity which Loki must have sensed as he opened his eyes.

"I love you, Loki. And I know that mother does too."

This seemed to do the spell. Loki's eyes filled with tears which started to slowly make their way over Loki's cheekbones down to his lips and neck. Loki's breathing quickened, and Thor noticed that faster breathing was causing Loki some difficulties. This reminded Thor of the main reason he came to see his brother; he needed to know how serious his injuries were. It was obvious now to Thor that he needed to try to mend his brother's soul at least a bit before they could get to healing his body.

In an instant, Thor made the decision. Slowly, he started to move closer to Loki until he was sitting right next to him. When Loki didn't react anyhow, Thor lifted his arm and put it around Loki's slightly shaking shoulders. Loki tensed and for a second, Thor thought that he will pull away.

The opposite happened. Loki sighed and rested his head on Thor's shoulder. This prompted Thor to gently pull Loki closer to him and softly tighten their embrace.

Neither Thor nor Loki said anything. There was no need. Loki continued crying; Thor knew he needed to. They will talk about Loki's injuries later.

Behind one of the columns supporting the weight of the dungeons' roof, Queen Frigga was crying as well as her younger son was. At that moment, she wasn't thinking about her husband who earlier admitted never to have truly loved their son.

All that she could think about were her sons. She was always proud of Loki; he exhibited such talents when it came to magic. She was determined to find out what really happened that led to his invasion of Midgard.

She never felt the need to praise Thor; her husband and the rest of Asgard seemed to be doing a great job in that sphere. However, now she wanted to thank Thor with all her heart.

Her older son has matured so much.

Frigga knew that her sons were very different from each other. But she also knew that each person has both good and bad side inside them. It all mattered upon which side they decided to act. Frigga was confident that her sons brought out the best in each other.

Together, Thor and Loki could fight their demons and fulfil their potential.

If Odin allowed them to do so.


	6. Chapter 6 - Brutality

**Hello again :) I am sorry for the delay but I promise to update at least once a week. This chapter is again quite descriptive and filled with conversations but I found it important to make it clear where each character stands when it comes to Loki. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _This was not the plan._

 _Damn._

 _When Loki saw Thor, all he could think about was pain. He was so tired of being physically restricted and abused and yet the idea of his brother smashing his huge fists onto his face scared him to death._

 _Thor, his older brother who swore to protect him, was now coming to beat answers out of him._

 _Loki never felt so alone._

 _He knew that resisting would be useless, but he had to try to at least stand up. When his body betrayed him and he felt himself slipping back on the ground, he swallowed his dignity and in a desperate attempt to protect himself he hugged his knees._

 _He wanted to beg his brother not to hurt him. But Loki remembered the last time he did that – he pleaded Thor not to put the muzzle on him – and Thor ignored him completely._

 _Yet somehow, Thor didn't make an attempt to touch Loki and instead Loki soon found himself conversing with Thor. Moreover, Thor seemed actually interested in what was happening to Loki._

 _It was all too much for Loki. He knew he couldn't hold it back anymore and he felt his eyes filling with tears._

 _Loki tensed when Thor put his arms around him; it was so long since somebody touched Loki with the intention to comfort instead of causing pain. Yet finally, he felt the sense of safety spreading throughout his body and being unable to resist the urge to feel safe for a while, he let his head fall on Thor's shoulder. He appreciated Thor pulling him closer._

 _Loki loved Thor. He only hoped that his big brother knew that._

Thor didn't know how long he was sitting inside the cell, holding Loki while his brother was crying and sobbing.

What was Thor supposed to do?

His brother was clearly suffering from numerous physical and psychological wounds. Loki has finally revealed a bit of his heart to Thor and Thor needed Loki to understand that Thor cared. Moreover, Loki seemed to suggest that he was forced to attack Midgard. If that was true, Loki shouldn't be punished for his actions. Thor was sure of that.

Thor knew that Asgard valued bravery over everything but if his time on Midgard taught Thor anything, it was that nothing was ever black and white.

Thor has never been severely physically and mentally tortured. He liked to think that he would never let his captors break him, but he knew that he couldn't be so sure. He has never been forced to live through such an experience, and so he knew he wasn't qualified to judge anyone who may have broken down under such circumstances.

Such as his brother.

Loki didn't really tell Thor that he was being tortured but more Thor thought about it, more sense it all made.

Loki on Midgard was a completely different Loki from the one on Asgard.

Thor knew that there was something wrong with him.

Yet Thor knew that it would take a lot more than one conversation to make his brother talk about what happened to him in the void. And unfortunately, Thor wasn't sure that any of this would make any difference to their father at all.

Odin has made it clear that Loki was to be punished for his actions on Midgard and that he would receive no leniency.

At that moment, Thor felt his breath shaking and he had to close his eyes. If Loki was tortured by some vicious creature, then sent to Midgard only to be defeated which was to be followed by hatred from his own family and condemnation to some cruel punishment from his father, then Thor saw no justice in that.

Thor swore to himself that he would help his little brother no matter what.

Thor sensed Loki calming down next to him. His body wasn't shaking as violently as it was before. Once in a while, a sob escaped from Loki's lips, but Thor realised that he wasn't crying anymore. Gently, Thor began to rub Loki's back in soothing circles.

Loki slowly lifted his face and looked at Thor.

"Are you feeling better, brother?" Thor said quietly with a reassuring smile.

Loki only nodded in agreement.

"Thor?" Loki asked insecurely after a while. He wasn't looking at Thor.

"Yes, Loki?"

"What are they going to do with me?" Loki did try to control his voice, but Thor noticed the fear.

"I don't know, Loki. It is up to father to decide." Thor answered truthfully.

Loki's face turned even whiter than it was before.

"Then I suppose this is one of the last conversations we are having." Loki said quietly more for himself than for Thor.

"What?" Thor was confused.

Loki looked straight into Thor eyes. Loki's deep blue eyes were still bearing the signs of crying but otherwise they were unnervingly calm.

"Odin will have me executed, Thor." Loki said emotionlessly. There was no accusation in his voice, no plea for help. Loki was only stating what seemed obvious to him.

"What? No!" Thor straightened his back and looked at Loki. "What are you saying? Father would never execute you, Loki!"

Loki didn't say anything but a hint of affection ran across his eyes.

"You have always been naïve, brother."

Thor wanted to react to Loki's irrational thoughts when he found himself being thunderstruck.

"You called me a brother." He said while being only able to stare at Loki. Loki held Thor's gaze.

 _"_ _Thor." Loki started but found it very difficult to continue. "Thor, I…thank you for coming here today. You didn't have to. But you did. And I…I am glad that I can say goodbye to you. I am tired of pretending that I do not consider you my brother. I don't want my denial of our brotherhood be the last thing that you remember about me." Loki finished, his voice strong._

 _Yet when Loki looked at Thor, he saw his brother shaking with rage. Loki didn't know what could he have said that would anger Thor so._

 _Was Thor angry at Loki for being so cowardly only to admit his true feelings shortly before his execution?_

 _Loki didn't know but the old feeling of fear crept back into him and he started to pull away from Thor._

 _When Thor sensed Loki's movement, he caught his wrist. Loki grimaced painfully and looked at Thor with eyes wide._

When Thor saw the fear and pain in Loki's eyes, he abruptly let go of his brother's wrist. He took a deep breath in to control his rage.

"Loki. I am not going to hurt you."

Loki was looking at him with uncertain eyes.

"I swear, brother." Thor kept his eyes locked with Loki's. Finally, Loki seemed to ease and gave up the idea of moving away from Thor. Slowly, Thor took his brother's hand and let it slip into his. He gave it a gentle squeeze and slowly found the courage to speak.

"Loki, I…I mourned you once. It was the worst time of my life. I couldn't do anything; I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't fight. My mind wasn't able to focus on anything; I had to keep it blank because as soon as I started to think, I saw your face and the idea that I would never see you again was impossible to bear. Mother would find me sleeping in your room, hoping that one day you would come through the door again, smile at me and everything would be alright." Thor looked at Loki with sincerity in his voice.

"Brother, you may think me selfish, but I refuse to go through anything like this ever again. I will not lose you. Even if I had to fight father to ensure it. No one is going to hurt you."

Loki didn't have a chance to answer because he noticed a guard approaching the cell. He wanted to make some space between him and Thor so they wouldn't be seen in such a close proximity but Thor only squeezed his hand more.

The guard stood in front of the cell trying to catch Thor's attention.

"My prince." The guard started, clearly uncomfortable at interrupting a private moment of his future king. Thor looked at the guard with a blank expression, prompting him to continue.

"My prince, I am here to deliver an order from the king. No one is to enter the prisoner's cell. Your majesty included." He said clearly uncomfortable with the idea of giving an order to his prince.

Thor's eyes darkened.

"Listen…" he started but was abruptly interrupted.

"Enough."

Odin's voice echoed throughout the dungeons. No one spoke for a while.

"My king." The guard bowed. "I was just delivering your order." He started to say, clearly trying to apologize for Thor still being inside the cell.

"It's okay. Go back and help the others." Odin said sternly, and the guard happily obeyed the order and disappeared.

"Thor. Get out." Odin said. When Thor made no move, Odin made a step towards the cell. When the glass wall disintegrated, Thor felt Loki's hand cover in cold sweat. He looked at his little brother and saw that Loki had nothing but pure horror in his eyes. He seemed unable to move.

Not wanting to distress his brother more, Thor started to stand up to make it unnecessary for his father to enter the cell.

Suddenly, he felt Loki squeezing his hand with a surprising strength.

"Brother, don't." Loki whispered. Thor wanted to answer but Odin spoke first.

"You dare to call Thor your brother, after everything you have done?" Odin spoke the words with clear contempt in his voice. Loki looked at the floor. He didn't say anything.

Thor was shocked; he never imagined Odin being so cruel towards Loki.

"Loki is my brother, father." Thor said finally looking at Odin. Next to Thor, Loki tried to make himself appear as small as possible, as if he didn't exist at all.

"Thor, get out." Odin said only, his stern voice filled with anger.

Thor knew that it would do no one any good if he resisted his father and so he stood up. This time, Loki let go of his hand and made no attempt to say anything.

Thor looked at Loki. He wanted to tell him that he will be back and that he shouldn't worry but felt that any of his words would only made the situation worse and so he walked out of the cell to stand next to his father.

When Thor emerged from the cell, a group of five guards entered the dungeons and without waiting for command they went into Loki's cell. Loki, who was still sitting on the ground, didn't understand what was happening. His eyes quickly went from one guard to another until they settled on the heavy looking chains that one of them was holding. Loki's pupils widened with fear.

"Father?" Thor looked at Odin with urge. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing." Odin answered. "Only precautions."

 _Meanwhile, the guards moved towards the solid wall of Loki's cell and began to attach the chains. They paid not attention to Loki who was frozen to the spot._

 _Only a while ago, Loki had finally felt a bit better. He felt hope filling his heart and he was sitting next to his brother who swore to protect him. Finally, Loki gave in and once again decided to trust his brother._

 _Yet now, with Odin standing only a few metres away and guards attaching heavy chains to the wall right next to him, Loki was struck with shock and dismay. He still felt so weak; his body felt heavy as his wounds were worsening as the result of not being tended to._

 _Loki vaguely heard Thor saying something to Odin but he couldn't made himself aware enough to be able to understand Thor's words. Yet somehow, Loki knew that Thor was trying to defend him and the idea of his brother standing up for him gave Loki the strength to push away the creeping panic._

 _Suddenly, the guards turned to Odin._

 _Odin gave a short nod._

 _Without a warning, the guards quickly moved towards Loki who didn't have the time or chance to prepare himself for anything. They bended down, harshly grabbed Loki by the elbows and lifted him up._

 _Loki found himself standing and his whole body was resonating with pain. He didn't try to resist. He lacked both the strength and the will to do so._

 _Loki let himself being dragged towards the wall. When he understood what was to happen to him, his mind screamed at him to run away. Being chained reminded Loki of the time with Thanos; Loki couldn't be so helpless again. Yet stronger than Loki's fear of being chained was his dread of what would happen to him if he tried to resist._

 _Loki let himself being smashed against the wall. Involuntarily, a moan escaped his lips and he fell on his knees._

 _The guards took his arms and put heavy chains around his wrists. The chains bound Loki's wrists together but also bound him to the wall; effectively making it impossible for Loki to stand up and move away from the wall._

 _When they were finished, they quickly left the cell and with a short bow to Odin they disappeared from the dungeons._

 _Loki found himself kneeling in front of the wall, his wrist being unnaturally stretched and bound together in front of him. The bracelets suppressing his magic made a noise every time they made contact with the manacles._

 _Slowly, Loki found the courage to lift his head and look in front of himself._

 _He saw the glass wall being again in place and behind it Thor was standing next to Odin. Odin wore unreadable expression while Thor's face was twisted in horror._

"Father, why are you doing this?" Thor said loudly. He saw Loki twitch at the sound.

"Loki is a powerful sorcerer, Thor. I will make everything in my power to prevent him from causing any more harm to any of the realms."

"Father, Loki is injured. He must be taken to the healers." Thor tried to reason with Odin.

"Your love is blinding you, Thor." Odin answered only.

"I will not allow this." Thor said resolutely and made a step towards Loki's cell.

He didn't get far. With a blinding light, Thor found himself and Odin being taken out of the dungeons.

In the blink of an eye, Thor and Odin were standing inside the palace.

* * *

 **Massive thanks go to my kind reviewers. Thank you very much!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Humaneness

**Thank you to everyone reading this story. A special thanks goes to 'Midnight' for thoroughly reviewing all my stories!**

* * *

Confused, Thor glanced around. They were standing in Odin's chambers. Thor took a look at his father who seemed utterly unmoved by what they had just experienced.

"Father!" Thor roared louder than he expected. He noticed Odin twitching with surprise at the magnitude of his voice.

"Father, Loki is seriously injured. He needs to be taken to the healers." Thor said, his tone still loud and unyielding.

Odin looked at the blonde god as if Thor was four years old and unable to understand even the simplest facts of life.

"Loki is a trickster, Thor. He knows that a just punishment is awaiting him. Didn't it occur to you that he is faking his weakness precisely for the reason to be taken to the healers so he can escape and cause more havoc?" Odin stated his opinion as if it was a fact.

"He is not faking it, father. I saw him; I talked to him. Loki is…suffering." Thor added desperately.

"You have always been naïve, Thor." Odin echoed the words Loki said to Thor earlier.

"Father. Please." Thor articulated each word carefully, trying to keep control of his voice. He knew that he was more pleading than discussing the matter with his father, but he was running out of ideas what to do.

"A king never begs, son."

"The kind of king I want to be protect the people he loves, no matter his pride." Thor replied looking Odin in the eyes.

Odin sighed.

"I am not letting Loki out of the cell. That is my decision and my decision is definitive." The Allfather looked at Thor wearily.

Thor didn't say anything for a while. He chose his next words with caution.

"Father." Thor made sure he had Odin's full attention. "If Loki...dies because of you, you will lose me forever."

Odin kept his expression blank, but Thor saw him clench his fists.

"You would choose that criminal over me?" Odin stated unnervingly calmly.

"Don't call him that."

"How am I supposed to call someone who decided to enslave an entire planet?"

"I believe it wasn't Loki's decision to attack Midgard." Thor uttered these words automatically.

For the first during their entirely conversation, Odin seemed at least mildly interested in what Thor was saying.

"What makes you say that?"

"Loki…he seemed relieved when I suggested that it may not have been his idea to attack Midgard. I...don't look at me like that!" Thor raised his voice when he saw the doubt in Odin's eyes. "Do you truly think me so gullible not to be able to sense when my own brother is finally letting his guards down? And if you do, why would you want Asgard to have such a naïve king?" Thor finished out of breath.

"Nothing that could have happened to Loki after he let go would justify his actions, Thor." Odin said sternly.

"It could explain a lot though." Thor decided not to openly disagree with his father now.

 _Odin sighed. He hated for Thor to be so much under the influence of Lok…the criminal but at the same time he was proud of his son for showing such perseverance to get what he wanted. And then…there was always Frigga. Somewhere deep inside his mind, a doubt was creeping into Odin telling him that if indeed Thor was right, and the prisoner was to die because of his injuries, Frigga would never forgive him._

 _Odin decided to choose the strategy of appeasement. In the end, he was not going to lose his family because of the ungrateful Jotun who ignored the fact that Odin saved him from dying as a child left on a frozen rock._

"Alright. I will allow the healers to enter Loki's cell and examine him. Provided that they find some injuries, they will be allowed to heal and tend them. During the process, the prisoner will stay chained in the cell, surrounded by guards."

Thor felt the urge to retort that it may not be the most efficacious way how to examine someone if the concerned is chained to a wall, but he kept his mouth shut for Loki's sake.

"Thank you, father." The blonde god said only, preparing to leave right away to be there for Loki when the healers treated him.

"Thor?" Odin's exclamation stopped Thor and made him turn to face his father.

"You are not allowed to be in the dungeons when the healers check on him. Should any of the guards see you there, they will be given a specific command to abruptly end the examination and leave the prisoner untreated. Am I clear?"

A sense of hopelessness passed through Thor's mind and he felt his stomach to be in knots. Odin had planned it well; had Thor disobeyed him, Loki would pay the price.

"Yes, father." Thor said only and with final look at his king he left the chambers.

Once in the corridor, Thor felt his head spinning. Judging from the way Odin was talking about Loki, Thor could clearly sense that Odin really held no affection for his brother anymore. Would Odin truly rather leave Loki to die not to risk him breaking free? Or was he only so convinced of Loki's twisted and deceitful nature that it made him unable to consider that his younger son could actually be suffering and may not had been acting with a free will?

Thor felt these thoughts to lie heavily on his shoulders.

He wanted to go to see his friends to drink and feast and forget about the world.

He wanted to go back to Midgard to finally visit Jane.

He wanted to be happy about the fact that his father was proud of him and fully trusted that he would make a good king one day.

Nevertheless, Thor couldn't do any of these.

Somehow, Thor knew that every time Loki was hurting in the past, he would have dismissed his little brother's distress as unimportant and his slights as imaginary. However, Thor did mature in his exile and being part of the Avengers showed him just how much strength there can be in true friendship, care and trust. Thor was determined to ensure that his brother understood that Thor would be there for him no matter what. Moreover, Thor was determined to find out what had really happened to Loki in the void.

Thor breathed out.

The victory on Midgard was truly pyrrhic for him.

But, of course, no one would understand that. No one on Asgard would understand why Thor couldn't simply be cheerfully victorious as they all have already denounced the unpopular mischievous prince anyway.

All but one.

Suddenly, Thor knew what he needed to do.

Without further hesitation, he set off towards his mother's garden.

 _Loki was in pain._

 _He managed to shift himself from his knees to a sitting position; resting his tied-up wrists in his lap. He could already feel his wrists to be itchy and sore as he was unable to relieve the metal from constantly irritating his skin._

 _Still, it wasn't as bad as the muzzle._

 _Thinking about the muzzle, Loki became once again conscious of his raw lips. He didn't drink anything since the muzzle was removed and he felt his raw skin to dry out as well._

 _On top of that, he was sure that he had had some ribs broken on Midgard as breathing was becoming increasingly difficult for him. Considering that no one was near his cell, Loki ceased to put an effort into appearing to breathe normally and let himself draw broken breaths._

Gods, it hurts.

 _The chains made it impossible for Loki to stand up – not that he would try to do that – for he would have to keep his back in a very crouched position to do so. When he realised that, he felt angry and humiliated._

 _After a while, he didn't care anymore._

 _Loki felt hopeless. He desperately wanted to bring his attention to something else rather than his pitiful and painful physical state. However, there was nothing to shift it to._

 _Loki understood that he couldn't really find any recent happy memory he could focus on._

 _Everything that happened to him lately was either mental or physical suffering or, in the case of the void, it was both._

Thor.

Think about Thor.

 _I will not think about the witless oaf._

Didn't you admit to love him recently?

 _No. At least not out loud._

You wanted him to stay with you when Odin came.

 _I didn't._

You squeezed his hand and begged him not to leave you.

 _I…_

 _Loki gave up his inner argument. The sentimental part of his mind was right. He knew it. He knew he didn't hate Thor. In fact, Loki probably felt most loved when he was sitting in Thor's embrace in this very cell, crying but feeling the support and warmth of his older brother._

 _For the first time in eternity, Loki felt safe and protected._

 _Loki sighted. He was slowly but safely losing the energy to keep the mask on._

 _He started to understand what a curse it was to be the God of Lies; it was so exhausting to keep lying to himself that he hated Thor or Frigga. Or that he could ever have Odin's sympathy._

 _Finally, Loki decided to let go and surrender his mind to the comforting feelings. It made him terrible fearful that Thor had only played some trick on him and that in reality, he didn't care about him and when he came back he would only laugh at him and beat him._

 _Yet Loki was not strong enough to keep himself from feeling affection towards Thor anymore._

 _And so he let it fill his mind and heart._

 _The little comfort of finally feeling loved by his brother helped Loki to fall asleep for a while._

 _Suddenly, Loki felt a noise and opened his eyes. A countless number of guards were approaching his cell. Quickly fully awakened, Loki felt his muscles tensing. He didn't know what the guards were coming to do to him but he knew it wasn't anything good. Yet unable to stand up because of his restrains and his weakened state, Loki kept sitting on the ground and only followed the group of people with his eyes._

 _When the proceeding reached Loki's cell, they let the transparent wall disintegrate and went in without hesitation._

So much for the fears they held for him before they put the manacles suppressing his magic on him.

And the chains.

 _When they encircled him, the raven-haired god noticed that not all of them were guards._

 _Two of them were healers._

 _At that moment, panic erupted in Loki's mind._

Oh god. Odin must have sent them to torture me in some ways unknown to the guards.

 _He felt his lips tremble and his will to keep the vestige of dignity leaving him._

 _"_ _Please." He said only._

 _The guards and healers looked at him in surprise._

 _"_ _Please. Have mercy. I will do anything you want me to." Loki whispered, being fully aware of uttering the exact words to Thanos countless times before. The idea of being tortured by some wicked healers made Loki to lose the ability to think clearly._

 _The guards seemed to be taken by surprise as they exchanged confused looks. Some of them seemed to have pity in their eyes._

 _"_ _These are healers brought to check on your condition. They are here for your own good. If you try to attack them anyhow, we will pacify you and they will leave you to your injuries. Do you understand?" A guard said sternly but his voice lacked malice._

 _Loki blinked in surprise. Then he understood that they expected him to react somehow and he found himself quickly yet weakly nodding in agreement._

He must not allow his fears to leave him as obsequious as he was in the void.

 _Slowly, the two healers slowly knelt in front of Loki's crouched figure. Loki didn't recognise any of them, but their soothing aura was calming him down._

 _They asked him many questions about what was causing him pain and he found himself answering honestly, not caring anymore about how weak it must have sounded to the guards. The healers would only nod and check on different parts of Loki's injured body, healing his injuries with spells when possible or tending to them with salves when not. The most severe proved to be his chest; Loki barely registered the healers telling him that several of his ribs were broken. He let them pull up his tunic and bandage his chest. They also tended his lips by applying ointment to his raw skin; the cooling effect made Loki breathe out in relief._

 _The healers cleansed the wound on his right cheek as well; Loki flinched when the healing liquid stung his skin. The healer only offered him a heartening smile and Loki wondered what could he have done to deserve their gentle and conscientious treatment._

 _One of the healers frowned when he saw the damaged skin under the manacles binding Loki's wrists together. They demanded the guards to remove them. The guards naturally refused to do so but a compromise was reached; sequentially, the guards took the manacle off Loki's right wrist. This enabled the healers to cleanse Loki's torn and bruised skin and to put a bandage around his skinny wrist. When they were done, the guards put the manacle back on and the process was repeated on Loki's left wrist._

 _When all injuries were cleansed, bandaged and tended to, Loki felt strangely peaceful. Without further words, the healers turned to leave followed by the guards. Loki was unable to supress the words forming in his throat._

 _"_ _Thank you." Loki said. He expected to be laughed at for his gratefulness. Instead, the healers gave him a small smile._

 _"_ _You're welcome."_

 _When they left his cell, Loki leaned against the wall. He was still sitting on the hard ground but thanks to the bandages he finally felt relieved from the worst physical pain. Loki closed his eyes and allowed himself to believe that it was thanks to his older brother that the healers were allowed to treat his injuries. Knowing that Odin would never come up with the idea to heal him and he hadn't seen Frigga since he had returned on Asgard, who else could summon the healers to Loki than his oaf of a brother?_

When Thor entered Frigga's garden, he wasn't surprised to find his mother sitting on her favourite bench. Silently, he approached and sat right next to her. When he looked into her eyes, he saw that they were full of tears.

"Mother, what is it?" Thor asked worried.

Frigga didn't answer for a while. Then, she decided to change the topic.

"I saw you with Loki earlier." She said with a barely visible smile that softened her gaze and let a single tear escape from her eye.

Thor didn't know how to react, and so he stayed silent.

"You still love your little brother, don't you Thor?" She said looking Thor straight into the eyes. Thor knew that she could read him like an open book.

"Of course I do." Thor said only. No more explanation was needed.

"Thor I…" Frigga had to take a deep breath in to calm herself down before being able to continue. "I know how Odin intends to punish Loki."


	8. Chapter 8 - Shock

Thor gazed at his mother with dreadful anticipation. Frigga's tone wasn't promising; whatever it was that Odin came up with, Frigga didn't find it to be just.

"Mother?" Thor asked with a weak voice so out of character for the God of Thunder. "What does he want to do to him?"

"The Allfather…" Frigga began but choked on a sob. Thor didn't pressure her to continue despite having his stomach twisted in concern.

Frigga closed her eyes to put herself together. She was strong, much stronger than most people gave her credit for.

"The Allfather finds it appropriate for Loki to be given as a reconciliation to Jotunheim. He thinks that out of the three planets concerned, Jotunheim suffered the most from Loki's actions. Moreover…" Frigga smirked sarcastically, "Odin seems to consider it to be killing two flies with one stone. He will improve Asgard's relations with Jotunheim while getting rid of Loki." When Frigga finished, the despair slowly vanished from her voice and turned into pure rage.

Thor looked at Frigga alarmed.

"Mother, no. No!" Thor stood up from the bench. "If Loki was to be given as a prisoner to Jotunheim, they would torture him mercilessly until death! He killed Laufey!" Thor clenched his fists. "He did it because of father, didn't he? To prove to him that he was the worthy son."

Frigga looked at Thor with sad eyes. "Yes, I believe so."

"Mother, we can't let that happen."

"There is nothing we can do to defy Odin. He is the Allfather. His word is law." Frigga said dryly.

"My brother will not be used as a bargaining relic!" Thor screamed. His voice echoed through the garden.

"Talk to your father, Thor." Frigga told Thor quietly. "Maybe he will listen to you. He doesn't listen to me. He says that my judgement is clouded by love for Loki."

"He told me the same thing." Thor said while sitting back on the wooden bench next to his mother. Countless times, Thor would visit Frigga in this very garden as a boy to sit in her lap and listen to her stories. Now, Thor took Frigga's hand into his. Thor couldn't point to the moment when the roles reversed; when he was a child, he would hide his little palm inside his mother's. Now, he gently squeezed his mother's hand inside his huge one, trying to give her courage.

"Mother." Thor said after a while, his tone deadly serious. "If father decides to sentence my brother to torture and execution on Jotunheim, I will not hold back. You said that no one can defy the Allfather. Well….everything seems impossible until it is done."

Frigga smiled warmly at her son. "I knew you would say this Thor. My son, you have no idea how incredibly proud of you I am. You matured so much lately."

"You can be proud of me when Odin changes his mind about Loki." Thor said gently while standing up and walking away. He would waste no time.

Gods, Thor had no idea how much time Loki had left.

The Mjolnir-wielding god was terrified to face his father. He was even more frightened to imagine what could happen to Loki should he fail. Thor straightened his arm and called for his hammer. When he felt the heavy, familiar object in his hand, he was emboldened. He knew that not even Mjolnir was a match for the omnipotent Allfather; yet he hoped that it gave him at least some aura of authority.

The God of Thunder never thought that he would feel dread before knocking on door.

 _Loki. You have to think about Loki._

Imagining his brother's expression upon hearing that Odin would use him as a stolen relic to appease Jotunheim, Thor knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

"My prince." A controlled voice spoke behind Thor.

The blonde god turned around to see a a member of Odin's personal guard.

"The Allfather went to the Hall to pronounce a judgement against the prisoner Loki."

"What? Already?" Thor whispered in horror.

Without thinking, Thor commenced running towards the Hall, praying he wouldn't be late.

Would Odin sentence Loki and send him to Jotunheim without letting Thor say goodbye?

 _Yes. He definitely would._ Thor relalised with dismay.

 _The bareness of the cell didn't allow Loki to measure time in any way. Nevertheless, it was definitely too soon after he had been tended to when the guards appeared in front of his cell again._

 _Loki sighed. All he wanted to do was to sleep. He didn't care anymore that he wasn't provided with a bed. Bloody hell, he couldn't even lay down because of the chains binding him to the wall. Yet Loki was more than willing to let himself fall asleep in a sitting position in exchange for a moment of tranquillity._

 _Having his wounds finally cleaned and bandaged, the worst pain disappeared and Loki was able to breath normally again without feeling a sharp pain in between his ribs. He found it a bit ironic that at least half of his body seemed to be covered in bandages. Be that as it may, he was grateful for it. His lips have healed thanks to the ointment that the healers applied on it. Loki let his tongue gently run over his upper and lower lip, glad that they seemed much smoother. He was still hungry and thirsty but at least the pain was more bearable now._

 _Yet the sight effect of relieving the worst pain was that Loki found himself finally able and desperate for proper sleep. His eyelids felt heavy and he wished to slip into the forgiving darkness of hopefully dreamless sleeping._

 _However, as usually, Loki was deprived of what he wanted. The god followed the guards who entered his cell with tired eyes. A shiver ran down his spine; he didn't want to get beaten up to have his wounds opened up again. Yet the guards did nothing to hurt him the last time they were in his cell with the healers and so Loki prevented himself from slipping into another panic attack._

 _The guards approached him and without a word grabbed his arms. They were neither gentle nor harsh; that was a welcomed change from how he was treated at the beginning of his imprisonment._

 _Loki thought how pathetic sight he must make that even the guards didn't want to torment him anymore._

 _The guards started removing the manacles connected to the chain from Loki's bandaged wrists. Thanks to the soft bandages, Loki didn't feel any physical discomfort. He was, however, anxious to know their reason for doing so. Certainly, it wasn't to make him feel more comfortable._

 _"_ _Stand up." The guard told him when they finished removing the manacles. His voice was emotionless._

 _Loki clenched his teeth and pushed himself up with the help of his hands. He stumbled in the process but managed to stabilise himself with the help of the wall behind him. He noticed the guards to exchange uncertain looks. Loki hated that he wasn't able to identify the meaning behind them. He was the God of Mischief, the master of perceiving others; yet being so exhausted he didn't understand the mindset of the guards. Did they want to hurt him? Should he be worried?_

 _Loki didn't know._

 _When the raven-haired god was sure he could stand without falling down, he raised his eyes and looked at the guards with question in his eyes. Undoubtedly, he was afraid. He knew that he was no match for five muscular guards right now. Still, he tried not to allow the fear to control his body language. Loki wouldn't stare at the ground; he would look them straight into the eyes._

 _Without any additional comments, a guard seized Loki's wrists and put yet another set of manacles on them._

Great.

It seems that he was to set a record of how many different restrictions can be used to bind him.

 _Loki didn't try to resist. He let himself be constrained. When the guard was finished and let go of Loki's wrists, the god let his arms fall down in front of his body. Loki was desperate to ask the guards for the meaning of all of this but he was afraid of what the answer might be._

 _"_ _Move." A guard instructed pointing out of the cell. Loki's forehead covered in cold sweat. If they were taking him out of the cell, he must be going to face the Allfather. The thought made him freeze in place._

They will hit you if you don't move.

 _Loki's mind was screaming at him to cooperate yet his body was unable to process the data. Loki could only stand motionlessly and stare in front of himself with big, terrified eyes. Helplessly, he noticed a guard walking right in front of him. It was the guard who punched him in face when they were taking him to the dungeons._

 _"_ _Can you walk?" The guard asked him matter-of-factly._

 _Loki's mind snapped out of the shock and he nodded in agreement. He wasn't sure for how long his legs will be able to hold on but he was determined to help them with his willpower._

 _The guard turned around and walked out of the cell. Loki almost expected the man to turn around to punch him as he did on the stairs earlier but this time no pain came._

 _Loki slowly walked out of the cell. The guards were surrounding him from all sides. No one was talking and no one was touching him. Loki didn't fail to notice that they treated him incomparably better than the first time. When they were escorting Loki to the dungeons, they beat him up, threatened him and mocked him. Now, they were silent and didn't use any threat of violence against him. Loki wondered why that was the case._

Did Thor warn them not to hurt him?

Thor did ask him how the welt on his right cheek came about.

 _Loki automatically smiled a little at the idea of his brother caring for him. The idea that there may be someone who cared about him, even if it was only one person in the whole universe, strengthened Loki's will to survive and defend himself infinitely._

 _The guards took him out of the dungeons, patiently adjusting to Loki's slow pace. Loki concluded that Thor's possible warning couldn't have been the only thing preventing them from bullying him as that would most likely only stop them from causing him physical harm._

 _He remembered the pity crossing the eyes of one of the guards when he pleaded the healers not to hurt him. Did they pity him?_

 _Loki hated the idea of appearing weak in front of others but at the same time he was happy to be left alone._

 _Upon leaving the dungeons, the processing continued throughout the palace and gradually Loki understood that they were taking him to the Hall. Odin must be waiting there for him._

 _Loki remembered the only time he saw the Allfather since returning to Asgard. Odin ordered Thor to leave Loki's cell and let the guards chain him to the wall. He also scolded Loki for daring to call Thor his brother._

 _Loki's mind was suddenly full of emotions raging from dread and horror to rage. He didn't want to even see Odin, let alone talk to him. Yet he knew he didn't have a choice and so he tried to put on his defences so Odin's words wouldn't cut through his self-respect as if it was a paper._

 _Loki didn't know what he feared more. Was it Odin words or the actual punishment the Allfather had in store for him?_

 _Loki caught a breath when he found himself standing in front of the massive gate. Too quickly, the gate was opened with a dull sound and Loki found himself being pushed into the room. With a great effort, Loki raised his eyes from the ground._

 _The Hall was completely empty. The only person there was the Allfather sitting up on his throne._

 _Loki felt a lump quickly forming in his throat and silently hoped that he would be able to speak. He didn't intend to whine like a lost puppy._

 _The guards motioned Loki to stop two steps in front of the stairs leading to the raised platform upon which the Allfather's throne was located._

 _For a second, nothing happened. Then Loki noticed that Odin has raised his eyebrows in question._

 _Loki began to wonder what could he have done during the past twenty seconds to already cause an unwelcomed surprise to Odin when a sharp pain made him understand that the look wasn't meant for him._

 _The guards kicked the lean god to the back of his knees and Loki felt himself landing on the ground, effectively kneeling in front of the Allfather. A surprised moan escaped his lips but he quickly managed to put himself together. He didn't try to stand up. He knew the attempt would have been futile. But he did raise his head up and looked Odin straight into eyes._

 _Odin may humiliate him, call him a prisoner, deny any relation to him, degrade him to a kneeling position but Loki will not be defeated._

 _Loki knew better than most people that he wasn't truly kneeling in front of Odin if his head was raised in defiance and dignity._

Odin was staring at the prisoner kneeling in front of him with distant eyes. It seemed that Thor didn't lie; the prisoner's body was covered in bandages under his tunic. Other than that, Odin recognised the defiant stare the prisoner was giving him.

 _Damn it._

 _He wasn't broken._

 _Yet._

Odin didn't wish to prolong the sentencing for longer than was necessary. He needed the Frost Giant out of Asgard as soon as possible before his wife and son started wondering where Loki might be.

 _Not Loki. Only prisoner._ Odin had to remind himself to use the proper title.

Odin didn't want to experience any version of pleading for mercy by the prisoner's worthless lies and schemes. He knew that it was the God of Mischief standing in front of him; Odin expected all sort of excuses and accusations coming out of his mouth.

For too long, Odin would tolerate his lies and mischief as child's games. Because of his sentiment towards the Jotun child he adopted in a moment of weakness, the Asgard suffered from the rule by the monster from Jotunheim, his son was almost killed by the destroyer and both Jotunheim and Midgard viewed Asgard with distrust. All because of this prisoner.

"Loki Laufeyson," Odin addressed the figure kneeling underneath him without futher delay.

 _Laufeyson._

 _Loki quickly blinked three times._

 _No one has ever called him a Laufeyson._

 _Loki felt a nausea coming up his throat and it took all his willpower not to start shaking. So far, it went great. Odin hasn't even said a proper sentence but Loki almost lost his posture already._

 _Loki hated how much emotional power Odin still held over him._

 _"_ _You have committed treason of the highest degree and caused havoc on Asgard, Jotunheim and Midgard. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"_

 _Loki swallowed heavily. Should he say something? He wanted to say that he didn't mean to attack Midgard. That was purely Thanos' intention. Yet he knew that it didn't absolve him from his other crimes. What was he supposed to say?_

 _I was doing it for you – you had always insisted that the Frost Giants were blood-thirsty monsters waiting to slaughter us all. I thought I would protect Asgard and our family by destroying their planet. As for Asgard, what was I supposed to do? The guards shoved the spear into my hands and told me to rule. When I tried to do that, they all turned their backs on me – the Warriors Three, Sif, Heimdall. All of them. I didn't mean for the destroyer to kill Thor. I…._

 _Loki's train of thoughts stopped as quickly as it started._

He tried to kill Thor.

He tried to kill his brother.

He was a monster.

When did things get so out of his hands? When did he cease being able to control his rage and actions?

He tried to kill Thor, his brother, who was willing to sit next to him in a cold cell and comfort him.

 _Loki dropped his head with guilt and defeat and fought the urge to cry._

 _He hated himself._

 _No, Loki didn't have anything to say in his defence. Any attempt to put the blame on Thanos would come across as self-pity and weakness and any regrets as begging for mercy._

 _"_ _No." He said only, his eyes pointed to the ground._

 _Loki didn't see the surprise in Odin's expression._

 _"_ _Very well. You are hereby sentenced to a lifetime in the dungeons." Odin paused slightly._

 _Loki looked up in surprise. He expected Odin to torture him and then execute him. Lifetime in the dungeons seemed…lenient._

 _"_ _However, it won't be the Asgardian dungeons where you will serve your punishment. A deal was reached with Jotunheim. You will serve your sentence on the planet you sought to destroy. Take him to the Bifrost."_

 _Loki's eyes widened in fear and he started to tremble visibly._

No.

That is not possible.

He can't possibly be sent to Jotunheim.

 _"_ _No." Loki managed to whisper while being dragged up to his feet. He refused to move._

 _He couldn't go to Jotunheim. The Frost Giants would torture him mercilessly._

 _Jotunheim was where…Jotunheim was where he belonged._

 _Loki's eyes gave up the fight and filled with tears that began to make their way ceaselessly down his cheeks._

Did he deserve this?

 _He didn't know. He tried to kill Thor…but he didn't mean it._

 _"_ _Not Jotunheim." Loki whispered in an almost inaudible voice._

 _Jotunheim represented all that Loki feared. It was a promise of endless physical pain and mental torment. It also showed him the truth about himself; that he was a Frost Giant. A monster._

So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?

 _The words never seemed so true._

 _As Loki was being dragged away through the Hall, these words echoed in his mind._


	9. Chapter 9 - Happiness

**Warning: Attempted suicide.**

* * *

 _Loki had no idea how his feet were still supporting his weight. Maybe he was in some kind of shock that disabled him from clear thinking, but also from completely breaking apart. He was moving mechanically, putting one foot in front of the other without really taking in his surroundings. He was barely aware that he was surrounded by guards from each side and if he focused, he would notice their tight grip on his upper arms. Maybe they were afraid that he could try to run away._

 _But Loki's mind shut._

 _The God of Mischief gave up._

 _There was no hope left in him._

 _Loki didn't commit all the things against Asgard, Jotunheim and Midgard because he didn't care. It was quite the opposite. He did it because he cared too much and he wanted a chance to prove himself._

 _All the ambition was now gone._

 _Loki didn't want to fight anymore. He couldn't fight it anymore._

 _He was destined to lose._

 _He was supposed to exist as a shadow to Thor who would be exchanged for the peace treaty between two most powerful realms._

 _Yet he fought against his fate designed by the Allfather._

 _And he lost._

 _And his defeat was final this time._

 _Loki didn't have the energy to try to change the order of events. He wouldn't even think about the possibility of trying to fight off his guards and run away. He was too tired._

 _And so the trickster behaved as a model prisoner; he didn't resist in any way as he was dragged towards his personal hell._

 _Or more accurately, the place of his birth._

 _Finally, Odin managed to break him._

As Thor ran pass the last corner before the Hall, the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

He couldn't be late. Nothing ever seemed as important as getting to the Hall on time.

In the blink of an eye, the Thunderer was in front of the huge gate. He tried opening it but found the doors locked. Thor didn't hesitate swinging Mjolnir to burst the doors open. They cracked with deafening sound.

The God of Thunder hurried inside to find the Hall horrifyingly empty. Every step Thor took echoed throughout the vast space and reminded Thor of the frantic beating of his own heart. He quickly searched each corner of the Hall with his eyes; looking at each little corner twice in a desperate hope that he might have overlooked his little brother.

Yet the Hall was completely empty.

Thor came late.

"No." Thor breathed out in horror. His head felt dizzy and as if in slow motion, the Mighty God was brought to his knees by an invisible force pressing onto his chest.

Thor has just lost his brother.

Again.

Once again, Thor failed Loki. He swore to him in the dungeons that he would protect him, even from Odin if the need be. But once again he was unable to honour his word and now his little brother was being disposed of as a bargaining leverage. His father confirmed Loki's worst nightmare and exchanged him for a political advantage.

Thor was frozen on the spot. He couldn't move. He felt as if he couldn't breathe.

"Thor." His name was uttered by someone but the Thunderer didn't care enough to raise his head. Nothing mattered anymore. It wouldn't bring Loki back.

"Thor." The voice was more urgent this time, but Thor didn't react anyhow.

"Thor, it's Loki." Frigga's voice said urgently. Hearing his brother's name, Thor raised his head to see his mother standing right in front of him. He didn't hear her coming.

Thor couldn't stand looking into her eyes and so he dropped the gaze.

"Mother, I came late. I am so sorry." Thor whispered but Frigga interrupted him.

"It is not too late, Thor. They are bringing Loki to the Bifrost now. Odin is following them. I will stand up to my husband if I must, but it would be much easier if it didn't come to that. Hurry up to Heimdall's place. I am afraid we don't have much time." With the last word, Frigga disintegrated in the air.

Thor took a moment to adjust to the new hope. Frigga wasn't in the Hall; she was standing with Heimdall on the Bifrost, ready to fight Loki's guards if the need be. Thor never saw his mother actually using her fighting skills and magical abilities in a real battle. There was never the need for that. Thor didn't doubt that his mother was extraordinarily powerful, but he doubted she could overpower Odin.

Quickly, Thor got back to his feet. He spinned Mjolnir as fast as he could and made his way straight up through the roof of the Hall. The golden roofing material broke when it came in contact with Mjolnir and within a second, Thor was flying through the air towards the Bifrost. He didn't care that he probably committed treason by destroying the Great Hall of Asgard.

 _The walk on the Bifrost bridge was the longest one Loki had to endure in his life. Unfortunately, his senses and sense of self-awareness was coming back to him as the initial shock was slowly dying away while growing panic was taking its place._

 _The bright colours of the bridge were blinding Loki for the first time. Suddenly, everything seemed too bright to take in. Loki stopped. The guards stopped too._

 _Was he trying to attempt some last desperate escape plan?_

 _"_ _Move." One of the guards spoke firmly._

 _"_ _I can't." Loki answered, surprised at the unnaturally calm manner. His brain was screaming at him, his heart was threatening to tear his chest apart as it was trying to jump out of his ribcage, yet his voice sounded perfectly controlled._

 _"_ _Are you hurt?" The guard asked unsure while glimpsing at the others._

 _"_ _Yes." Loki answered while staring in front of himself with a blank expression. Maybe he was finally going mad._

 _"_ _Where?" A different guard asked. Loki wasn't sure why they bothered asking. Would they rather tend to his injuries before taking him to face certain torture and death than simply hauling him to Heimdall by force?_

 _"_ _It can't be seen." Loki answered only and without second thoughts, he started running forward as fast as he could. The guards didn't manage to catch him at first and before they began following him, Loki turned to run straight towards the edge of the bridge. He stopped right in front of the endless ocean underneath it and stared right into it. He was aware of the guards being frozen into their places. They understood Loki's intentions and were afraid that if they moved, it might provoke Loki to carry on._

 _"_ _Loki." One of the guards spoke his name for the very first time. Loki didn't divert his gaze from the endless waves underneath him. "Come back to us. We have got orders."_

 _"_ _I can't go to Jotunheim. I just can't." Loki whispered. He felt the tears flowing onto his cheeks once again. He should probably care that he would die as a crying, unmanly coward. Yet he couldn't bring himself to feel any more humiliation. It felt almost poetic that he would die a coward that Odin always took him for._

 _"_ _This is not a solution." A guard said desperately. Loki knew that they would probably face harsh punishment for letting him slip away from his punishment. He didn't know whether to feel guilty about it or not. In the end, he decided that considering the little time he had left, it was irrelevant._

 _"_ _Actually, it is." Loki murmured. He didn't care that he was speaking out loud now. He didn't care if the guard would tell what he said to Odin or his family later on. Some inner force was forcing him to speak and he was glad to let it. "I am not a relict. I never was. I am a breathing, thinking being and I will not be used as a mere mean to an end. Odin can find a different way to ensure the peace with Jotunheim."_

 _Loki tried to make the fatal step yet he found that he couldn't. His last words couldn't be spoken about Odin. He didn't deserve that._

 _"_ _Please, tell Thor and Frigga that it was Thanos. He wanted Midgard. He tortured me to give it to him. I wasn't strong enough. Tell them I am sorry. Tell them that I love them. I always have." The confession came easily out of Loki lips and without hesitation, he took the step._

 _Loki closed his eyes._

 _Yet no feeling of falling came. Loki knew how it felt to be falling better than anyone and so he was surprised not to feel this moment before his body would hit the raging ocean._

 _Instead, his chest was hit with unimaginable power and he found himself being thrown into the air and almost instantly, he painfully landed on his back on the Bifrost._

 _Loki opened his eyes and found himself out of breath._

 _The trickster lifted his head to see Odin standing a few metres away from him. He was frowning more than usually._

 _"_ _YOU." Odin roared. "What do you think you were doing?"_

 _"_ _Your Majesty, we were…" One of the guards tried to say._

 _"_ _Not a word. Return to the palace immediately. I will deal with you later." The Allfather didn't spare his subjects a glance. They obeyed his order immediately and ran away._

 _Odin took few steps towards Loki who didn't dare to move. He was lying still on his back. Too soon, the Allfather's shadow darkened his vision._

 _"_ _Do you think you can defy my order?" Odin said threateningly quietly. Loki didn't answer._

 _Out of nothing, Loki felt a heavy burden on his chest. It felt as when Thor put the Mjolnir on him. Yet now the force seemed to be even stronger, pushing all air out of his lungs. Loki couldn't breathe; the feeling of wearing the muzzle was back. The panic was back. Loki's eyes searched frantically for the cause of his suffering, finally setting on Odin's face. Loki didn't know what spell the Allfather was using, but he needed him to stop._

 _"_ _Please." Loki uttered barely audibly._

 _"_ _Don't worry. It won't take long." Odin replied._

 _Loki had no idea what wouldn't take long. Odin was suffocating him. But the vestige of rationality still left in Loki screamed that this didn't make any sense. If Odin wanted him dead, he would let him jump. He didn't want him dead right now, he needed to use him against Jotunheim. Yet Loki wasn't allowed to take in the precious air. He turned onto his side, bringing his knees up to his chained wrists. He closed his eyes._

 _Suddenly, the pressure on his chest disappeared and out of blue, Loki was able to take a breath in. He did so. Loki didn't care that he started to cough immediately. He was immensely relieved._

 _"_ _I think you are ready to go to Jotunheim now." The Allfather stated firmly._

 _Loki didn't understand._

 _"_ _Odin."_

 _It was his mother's voice. She was there. His mother whom he hasn't seen since his attempt to destroy Jotunheim was there._

 _"_ _Mother." Loki uttered. He was still lying helplessly on the ground. Loki opened his eyes. He had to see her._

 _Yet he was welcomed by a different sight._

 _His chained wrists in front of him were blue._

 _It took him a moment to understand._

 _Odin had transformed him back to his Jotun form._

 _And now his mother was there. She would see him for the monster he was. She would not love him anymore._

 _"_ _Mother, NO! Please, go away." Loki screamed, his voice breaking. He didn't see Frigga, not yet. He couldn't look her in the eyes to see the disappointment and hatred in them. He couldn't stand seeing himself in this form. He closed his eyes._

 _Suddenly, Loki felt a warm touch on his shoulder. He knew it was Frigga._

 _"_ _Mum, please. Go away." Loki cried. His tears would freeze as they touched his skin. The Frost Giants didn't cry._

 _"_ _Loki. Look at me." His mother's voice was soft and filled with affection. It didn't make any sense. She should hate him._

 _"_ _Mummy, please. You will burn yourself." Loki whispered desperately. He couldn't stand hurting his mother more than he did already._

 _"_ _I am the most powerful sorcerer on Asgard, love. Do you think I cannot spell my skin not to get burnt when touching yours?" She asked with a hint of sad humour in her voice._

 _Loki couldn't stand it._

 _"_ _I am a monster, mum. Please, I don't want you to remember me like this." Loki didn't know what he was saying anymore, but he needed Frigga to go away._

 _"_ _You are my son, Loki. I heard what you said earlier, standing on the edge of the bridge. I am so sorry. But I promise we will make it right. Together." The Queen said with infinite patience._

 _"_ _But…Jotunheim." Loki got out in between the sobs._

 _"_ _No one is sending you to Jotunheim, darling. You don't have to worry." Frigga said with complete confidence. She never stopped gently stroking Loki's shoulder and back._

 _"_ _But…the Allfather." Loki mumbled._

 _"_ _Heimdall?" Frigga asked, changing her tone from motherly to queen-like._

 _"_ _Yes, my queen?" Loki was surprised to hear the Gatekeeper's deep voice._

 _"_ _Is it possible to travel in between the realms now?" Frigga asked matter-of-factly._

 _"_ _No, it isn't. Someone took the sword only a moment ago." Heimdall answered simply._

 _"_ _What?" Loki was confused. Without the sword, it wouldn't function. He couldn't be send to Jotunheim._

 _"_ _You heard Heimdall. You know what it means, Loki. You are not going anywhere." Frigga gently brought her hand on Loki's cheek. He flinched at the touch, but he didn't open his eyes._

"Mother!" Thor's voice echoed through the scene as the Thunderer landed next to his family. The scene before him was unbelievably strange.

There was Heimdall, standing with an unreadable expression on his face. Odin was standing there as well, seemingly rooted to the spot. He was completely quiet and unmoving. In front of him, his brother was lying chained on the ground in fetal position while his mother was kneeling next to him and gently stroking his cheek. The strangest thing, however, was that his brother was blue.

"Mother. What is happening?" Thor uttered and hurried next to Frigga. He ran past Odin, not sparing him a glance, and knelt next to his mother. He saw that Loki kept his eyes tightly shut.

"It is alright, Thor. It will all be alright." There was something different in Frigga's tone of voice. Something new. It seemed as if the Queen was done with all of this.

"Father..what is he…?" Thor didn't understand Odin standing there, not reacting to anything unfolding in front of him at all.

"Your father is currently indisposed, Thor. I am afraid my spell petrified him to his current position. He will be unable to speak or move until I remove the magic." Frigga said as if this was an everyday occurrence. "We will deal with your father later, Thor." Frigga said more softly. Thor understood.

"Brother." Thor whispered. He managed to keep all horror or surprise out of his voice.

"Thor, go away." Loki whispered desperately. He didn't want his family to see him like this.

"Loki." Frigga's voice was soft and caring this time. "It is alright. We are not going anymore. Would you please open your eyes?" And she placed a kiss on Loki's forehead.

Loki opened his eyes.

They were radiantly red.

Thor thought he would flinch and step back yet he found himself unable to do so. He understood that his mother has also placed some magic onto him so that his reaction wouldn't confirm Loki's conviction that they were disgusted by his Jotun form. Thor wondered if Frigga really managed to think about everything.

"Mum?" Loki's voice was small and unsure, as if he was a child again.

"It's okay, darling. I am here and I love you." Frigga smiled.

"Oh, mum." Loki's red eyes watered instantly and he tried to raise himself up. He couldn't do it but his mother was quick to help him. Frigga lifted him up by his forearms and brought him into her soft embrace. Loki rested his head onto her safe chest and continued sobbing.

Thor tried to pet his brother on the back but his mother stopped him with her gaze.

Thor understood. He couldn't touch Loki without burning himself.

"Loki?" Frigga said and Loki raised his head from her chest.

"I love you no matter what form, colour or temperature. You are and you will always be my son. Do you trust me?" She looked Loki straight into his eyes. The redness didn't intimidate her.

"Yes." Loki couldn't believe that he actually said this word and meant it.

"Good. Your brother wants to hug you. He isn't skilled in magic as me and you so we should probably help him, what do you think?" Frigga winked at her younger son whose expression turned into confusion. Yet immediately, Loki felt a wave of warmth spreading through him. It was comforting and painless. Instinctively, he knew what it meant. He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again, his hands were back to their normal colour.

"Thank you, mum." Loki stared at Frigga with his usual, beautifully deep eyes.

"There is nothing to thank me for, love. It is your soul that is a projection of your beauty, not your skin or shape. When I look at you, I see your caring soul. No matter what shape it comes in. That is what matters."

"Oh, Loki." Thor was crying now. He finally embraced his brother who exhausted fell into his big arms as a rag doll.

"Thor." Loki said only. He felt safe and loved. For the moment, all of them forgot about Odin.

"Boys, I think it is time to go home." Frigga said after giving her sons a moment to find comfort in each other.

"What about father?" Thor asked and felt Loki shivering in his arms.

"I won't let him hurt you, brother. I swear." Thor said and Frigga smiled.

The Queen made a barely noticeable gesture with her fingers and Odin was immediately able to speak and move.

"Quiet." The Queen said and stood up.

"You lied to me. You promised me not to hurt our son and yet you condemned him to die on the cold grounds of Jotunheim. When I understood your plan, I felt helpless at first. I didn't know what to do. I begged our older son for help. Thor didn't hesitate to do anything it takes to save his brother. But at that moment I understood that only my power is a true match to yours, Allfather. And I knew that for the first time since we were united in the sacred ceremony thousands years ago, I had to stood up to you. And so I did. The sword needed to open the Bifrost is in my possession now; no one is travelling out of Asgard without my knowledge. Thor and Loki are going back to the palace now. Loki will keep the bracelets suppressing his magic until the Midgard events are sufficiently explained. He is to be constantly in the company of Thor. I hope these two measures to bring peace upon your worried soul that suspects that our younger son will attempt to bring Ragnarok upon us unless he is in Jotun dungeons. You will agree to this plan of action and present it as yours to the court of Asgard unless you want to be seen as a king who was overpowered by his Queen. Am I clear?"

No one seemed to be breathing when Frigga finished the monologue. Had a feather fallen on the Bifrost bridge, everyone would hear it.

"You would turn against me? You who always stood by my side? For all these years?" Odin's expression was pained and betrayed.

"No. I am doing this for the sake of all of us. Loki is our son, Odin. Had you carried on the sentence, our family would be torn apart and no one would be able to put the shattered pieces back together."

"No one commands the King."

"No. But the Queen has the right to suggest a more appropriate course of action."

Silence spread. Thor was still holding Loki in his arms. Loki was shaking but was absorbing in all the situation developing around him.

"Do as you see fit." Odin said after a moment and turned to leave.

"Just a moment." Frigga said and Odin turned back to face her. Frigga looked at Heimdall.

"Heimdall, you are here to bear witness on your king's sentence to your prince Loki. Odin, do you agree with taking the measures that I mentioned, abandoning all other punishments against Loki?" Frigga glanced back at Odin.

"Yes." Odin said only.

"I have heard the sentence. I will do my duty to Asgard and make sure that it is properly carried out." Heimdall said and with a quick bow to his king he walked away.

Without another word, Odin disappeared.

"Mother, this was…" Thor found himself lost for words.

"Get your brother safely to the palace, Thor. Find the bloody guards to remove the chains from his wrists. You heard what I said. You are to stay with Loki at all times. Is that fine?" Frigga sounded suddenly very tired.

"Of course, mother. It is much better than alright." Thor replied. Frigga gave him a proud smile and turned her attention to Loki. She moved towards her sons and knelt in front of them. She moved a messy strand of black hair out of Loki's face.

"Will you be alright, Loki?"

"I will be with my brother." Loki answered only.

Frigga's expression lightened up. "I am so sorry, Loki. I swear we will do it right this time." Once again, she gently kissed her son on his forehead. Then she stood up and walked towards the palace, leaving her biggest treasures, her sons, behind her. She was confident that they would be able to take care of each other now.

"Loki?" Thor asked his little brother, who was still leaning onto him.

"Yes, Thor?" Loki said, his voice weak but his tone strong.

"This was…quite something, wasn't it?" Thor grinned at his younger sibling.

"Indeed." Loki weakly returned the smile.

"I think we better do as she said." Thor smiled again. "I am going to carry you to the palace, alright? I don't want to hear any protests."

"I wasn't planning to say any. I just want to sleep." Loki replied with the trace of his old, mischievous self.

Thor stood up, keeping his brother close to his chest. He walked towards the palace to find the guards to remove the chains from his brother's wrists.

 _Loki let himself be carried by his older brother. He was too tired and confused to feel outraged by this gesture. He couldn't yet fully comprehend what just happened on the Bifrost. At one moment, he was ready to die to save himself from the fate worse than death. But when the situation seemed most hopeless, the light came in. His mother loved him no matter his Jotun heritage. To her, he was her son as much as Thor. She heard what he said about Midgard. Loki knew that he would have to explain all of this in more detail, but he knew that with the support of his family, he will be able to find the courage to do so. It won't be easy; living with his magic supressed in constant company of his oaf of a loving brother, but Loki was certain that in the end, it will be all wort it. It may be difficult to deal with Odin and the rest of the Asgard, but together they will be able to do it._

 _Loki closed his eyes and drifted into a peaceful slumber._

 _Besides, his mother was a badass._

* * *

 **So...this is the end of Part 1 of this story. I am sorry it took me ages to update this chapter.**

 **There will be Part 2 that I will update here. It deals with Loki and the new situation he found himself in. So there will be a lot of brotherly interaction, Loki's interaction with some other Asgardians and Odin will also make appearances so that we can see if he truly is as heartless as he seems to be in this story (I know I am making Odin really cruel but I really wanted him to be like this in this story; I probably wanted to portray him in this way since his _"Your birthright was to die"_ statement. So well...I guess I am on the team Revengers here ;) ) Also, the end is ready and it may have something to do with a certain badass Queen so well...I hope you keep reading.**

 **Thank you so so much to those of you who kept reading for this long! I appreciate it very much.**


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